YuGiOh! Delta: Chaos
by Rebster6
Summary: In this story, chaos ensues. Enjoy.
1. Part 1: Ch 1

**Leah LP:** 1700

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/****ATK_2500****/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU**

Tiras, Keeper of Genesis: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2600/DEF 1700 – 1 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: **Spiritual Haven of the Borealis** [Field Card], 2 set cards

**Katie LP:** 1900

**Number 91: Flarestormer: Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/****ATK 2000****/DEF 200 – 2 OLU**

**Number 94: Matrix Golem: Machine-Type/Xyz/Gemini/LIGHT/Rank 4/****ATK 2000****/DEF 2000 – 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Fire Formation – Tenki

Hardly anyone was paying attention to the duel.

Matt was sitting in the front row, staring vacantly at the army of monsters on both sides of the field and barely taking any of it in. He was too busy pondering some far more pressing matters. Two in fact. Firstly, how he could make his team stronger. Team Delta was losing the Number hunt – it was as simple as that. He had no idea how many Numbers each side possessed, but he knew that Lithon and Kodoku had at least six Numbers between them. Then there was Skyler who, after absorbing all of Dan's Numbers, had at least eight. When added together, the members of Team Delta had seventeen, but individually they each had less than either of their opponents, not accounting for Numbers that they hadn't seen yet.

His second problem was how to heal Dan. The boy's memory had been wiped by Skyler a few weeks earlier, and as a result, he had lost all memories of how to duel, making him completely ineffectual. While they searched for a way to heal their teammate, James had said he would take over. James was perfectly capable of hunting Numbers, and had even managed to snag them a Number a while back with no help at all. The only problem was that he didn't care. Whether it was chores, lack of skill, computer work, or abject laziness, James would always find some excuse not to participate in the hunt. Even now, he was watching a news program on his computer, not even pretending to pay attention to the practise duel.

That left Matt and the girls in the hunt alone. As of late, Matt had been doing most of the hunting for the team, so Leah and Katie were now getting in a practise duel in the Delta's personal dueling arena, in order to stay in top form. Unfortunately, they were too preoccupied with their own worries about the future to put much effort into the duel, and as a result, they were doing little more than going through the motions.

Only Dan was showing any interest. Indeed, he was sitting on the edge of his seat in the front row, his arms resting on the barrier, completely enthralled by the duel. With his mind wiped he was little more than a beginner to the game, so he was fascinated by this exciting form of combat.

Matt watched him sadly. _'This is sick,' _he thought to himself. _'This hunt isn't about just collecting Numbers anymore. It isn't just a pastime or a hobby. It's real. It's too real. People are getting hurt, their friends and family are in danger, and their lives are being ripped apart by an enemy they don't even know is there. This whole city is being slowly destroyed, and my friends and I are right in the middle of it. We're right on the front lines. We're dragging humanity into this war, one person at a time. Because that's exactly what it is… a war.' _

His thoughts turned to the components of the war. The warriors: Leah, Katie, Skyler, Kodoku, and himself. Their weapons: the Numbers. The generals: Professor Usur and Doctor Lithon. The dead weight: James. The victims who'd gotten off relatively unscathed: Mizutsu, Makoto, Ryoki, Haydra, Edward, Drayan, Genjū, Feng, Huang, and Koshima.

And those who'd been less fortunate: Esta, Andrea, and Harrison.

And Dan, of course.

_'_…_it can't go on like this…' _he mused. _'This has to end. If the war goes on for much longer in the way that it's going, we'll all end up dead or worse. We have to make ourselves stronger, or we have to escape while we still can. One way or another, we have to find a way to end all of this, before-'_

"Psst, hey Matt," James hissed.

Matt, startled out of his thoughts, twisted around in his seat to look at him. "What?" he asked quietly.

"Come and take a look at this," James replied, tapping his computer screen.

"Why?" Matt asked. "What is it?"

"Just come and look," James insisted.

Matt sighed, then heaved himself out of his chair and began clambering over the rows of seats to reach James, who was sitting four rows behind him. The girls, lost in their own thoughts, paid him no heed. Dan didn't even notice.

Finally, Matt collapsed onto the seat next to James and scowled at him. "Alright, I'm here. Now what's so important?"

James grinned and held out a set of headphones, which trailed from a slot in his computer. "See for yourself."

Matt eyed the headphones with exasperation. "James, I'm really not in the mood for another conspiracy theory about our boss."

"It's not like that – this is a recording from a news channel," James insisted. "Trust me, just watch it."

With a deep sigh, Matt scooped the headphones out of James' hand and stuffed them into his ears. "Go on then," he muttered as soon as they were securely in. James nodded and hit the play button.

"_-to her as a 'modern day Mother Teresa'. No-one has yet been able to offer an explanation as to her remarkable abilities, but critics suggest that this may be some sort of trick, or even an advertisement campaign by the hospital. Nevertheless, as Deiana continues to tackle increasingly complex illnesses and injuries, it is quickly becoming apparent that Deiana may not be your average nurse."_

The woman speaking was an on-the-scene newsreader, and from the looks of the gleaming white walls and lines of beds behind her, Matt guessed that she was standing in a hospital. As the camera panned around, he quickly saw a large group of people gathered around a single bed. There were members of the public, doctors, nurses, and newsreaders all mixed in together, and all staring intently at a single woman kneeling beside the bed.

This woman – apparently the one named Deiana – had very pale skin and bleach-blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, but with a fringe that covered her forehead. Matt also noted that she was dressed in scrubs traditionally worn by nurses. She was leaning over a patient's bed – judging by the poor man's face, he seemed to be a burn victim, with one side of his face horribly scorched – and was speaking softly to the man, who nodded vigorously the moment she was finished talking. Deiana smiled and reached out with her hands, then paused and spoke again, apparently asking permission for something. When the man nodded again, she gently cupped her hands around his face, her palms covering a set of particularly nasty burns. The man winced as she touched his injuries, but the nurse ignored him and closed her eyes, concentrating hard.

A hush fell over the crowd.

Ten seconds passed.

Then fifteen.

Slowly, Deiana lifted her right hand and moved it further up the man's face.

The crowd gasped, and Matt, still watching, shared in their awe.

Where Deiana's hand had been moments earlier, there was now smooth skin, with no signs of the mottled burn marks that had been causing the man so much pain before. Matt couldn't believe what he was seeing. He moved his head closer to the screen, staring intently. He saw Deiana's left hand shift across to cover the man's mouth, and saw exactly the same thing on that side – the injuries had vanished, to be replaced with a patch of perfectly healthy skin in the exact shape of a handprint.

"What the hell is this...?" Matt muttered under his breath. James grinned.

The seconds stretched into minutes, and Deiana's hands continued to wander over the patient's face, removing any injuries she found. Through the earphones, Matt heard the crowd talking quietly amongst themselves. Some were calling it a miracle, whilst others were muttering words like 'trickery' and 'publicity stunt'. Matt didn't know what to believe. The scene before him was just too weird to take in.

Finally, Deiana breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, stepping away from the man so the crowd could examine him and the cameras could get a clear shot.

The man was completely healed. There were absolutely no signs of the mottled burns that had covered his face mere minutes earlier. Realising that his 'treatment' was finished, he spoke hurriedly to a nearby family member, who passed him a small hand mirror so he could check his face.

His transformation seemed to inspire as much astonishment in him as it had in everyone else. His eyes brimmed with tears as he examined his reflection, and he ran a hand across his brand new, unblemished skin. Overjoyed, he allowed the mirror to fall into his lap, reached up and pulled the mysterious nurse into a tight hug, thanking her over and over again. She smiled and returned the gesture, and all through the crowd there was a spattering of applause.

Matt just stared at the screen, dumbstruck.

"She's a healer..." he muttered.

"Not quite." Matt jumped - he'd forgotten that James was sitting right next to him. "It's not her. She's not the one doing the healing," James went on.

"But-"

"Just keep watching."

Wondering what on earth was going on, Matt returned his attention to the screen, where Deiana was parrying all sorts of probing questions from the reporters, insisting that she had to get back to work. "I can't spend very long here," she was saying. "Other hospitals need me. But I want to try and visit as many people as I can while I'm here." Smiling again, she turned and moved away to the next bed. The crowd made to follow her, and the cameraman that was allowing Matt to watch, who was pressed up against someone else's bedpost, chose to stand back and allow the throng of people to make their way past him through the narrow ward. The camera continued to roll, and Matt watched the wall of faces pass with indifference, already eagerly anticipating the nurse's next performance.

Suddenly, he saw a face he recognised.

Skyler.

Matt almost swallowed his tongue in shock. There he was, right there... the man who'd destroyed his team and hurt his friends. His hands curled into involuntary fists, and he felt the hatred burning in his very core as he stared at the despicable man. If they hadn't been separated by several miles and a glass screen, Matt was certain he would've laid into that man right there and then.

But what was he here?

Matt forced himself to examine things more closely. The first thing he noticed was that Skyler had forgone his usual attire, and was instead wearing a smart grey suit, which Matt assumed was to help him blend in more effectively, as Skyler's usual grey-and-black trench coat did tend to make him a bit conspicuous. He also wore a black glove on his right hand, which Matt knew was to conceal the cybernetic limb that lay beneath.

But those eyes... those pale blue, empty, soulless eyes hadn't changed one bit. But they were focussed, hungry... he was staring at Deiana with an intensity Matt had never seen from the stoic hunter.

Matt pulled the headphones out of his ears. He'd seen enough. "It's her," he said slowly. "She's a Number holder. Her Number's giving her the power to heal people."

"And..." James prompted.

"And Skyler's there, so he must want that power," Matt concluded. "Which means that Deiana is in horrible danger. We have to head over there and-"

"No, Matt, you're missing the point," James interrupted. "That girl's Number has the power to heal people. Well here's a crazy thought: maybe the Number's power isn't limited to physical injuries. Maybe it can heal... other things as well. You get my meaning?"

Matt shook his head in confusion.

"Come on man, this is a no-brainer," James insisted. "Both you and I know a certain someone who may benefit from a dose of healing magic. Someone... in the near vicinity, perhaps?"

Matt's eyes widened as it hit him. He glanced down the rows of seats to where Dan was sitting, still with his back to them. Then back at James. Then back at Dan. "Do you think that'll work?" he asked, finally returning his attention to James.

"Think about it," James replied. "The doctors tried all the conventional medical procedures. They failed. We tried all sorts of unconventional methods. We failed. If the process of taking Numbers was what did this to him, then maybe a Number is the only thing that can fix him. What do you reckon?"

"What do I reckon?" Matt repeated. "I reckon it's the only option we have left. How long ago was that recording taken?"

"A few minutes ago."

"That, plus the time it'll take us to get to the hospital," Matt said, more to himself that anything. Handing the laptop back to James, he stood up on his chair and bellowed down to the duelists below him. "Hey! Leah! Katie! Stop the duel!"

Leah stopped mid-move and glanced up at him. Katie did likewise, and Dan twisted around in his chair to get a better view. "What's up Matt?" Katie called to him.

"End the duel now!" Matt said again. "We have to get going! There's no time to explain!"

The girls only hesitated a moment longer, before nodding to each other and placing their hands over their Decks at the same moment.

**Leah LP: **1700 [DRAW]

**Katie LP:** 1900 [DRAW]

"Everyone gather your gear!" Matt said, clambering over the seat rests to get to the aisle. "We have to get going now! I'll explain everything on the way, but for now, let me tell you this..." he made it to the end of the row and stood up straight, surveying his team grimly. "...it's going to be one hell of a day!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

Number 91: Flarestormer  
Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 200  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's Damage Step, when a face-up monster battles: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 of the battling monsters; that target gains 100 ATK for each monster in your Graveyard until the end of the Damage Step.

Number 94: Matrix Golem  
Machine-Type/Xyz/Gemini/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2000  
3 Level 4 monsters  
This card is treated as a non-Effect Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it treated as an Effect Monster with this effect. ●This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; you can Normal Summon 1 monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set this turn (you can only gain this effect once per turn). When a monster is Normal Summoned: Inflict 400 damage to your opponent.

Spiritual Haven of the Borealis  
Field Spell Card  
Face-up Spirit monsters gain 100 ATK and DEF for each Spirit monster their controller controls. You cannot Normal Summon non-Spirit monsters. Once per turn: You can Normal Summon 1 monster from your hand as an additional Normal Summon.

* * *

**Fun Fact #1: This story's going to be a big one.**

**Fun Fact #2: Some of you may have noticed the underlined stats not only in this story, but now in most of our previous stories as well. Since FanFictionDotNet is finally allowing us to underline things that are also in bold, we've decided to implement something that we've wanted to do since we first started writing - underlining a monster's ATK or DEF stats to indicate its Battle Position. In other words, if a monster's ATK stat is underlined, it is currently in Attack Position. Likewise for an underlined DEF.**

**Fun Fact #3: A Skyler in a suit... definitely not creepy at all.**

**Fun Fact #4: The name Deiana is a shortened form of the name Deïanira, who was Hercules' wife in Greek mythology. When Hercules starts becoming rather unfaithful to her, she dips his tunic in what she believes is a love potion, but was actually the poisonous blood of the Centaur Nessus, which eventually leads to Hercules' death. Stricken with grief, Deïanira follows him soon after. Mythology can be very morbid sometimes...**


	2. Part 1: Ch 2

The taxi dropped them off outside the hospital. Katie thanked the driver and paid him, but the grumpy man was in no mood to chat, and drove off the moment the money changed hands.

"Alright then," Matt said with a heavy sigh. "Everyone ready for this?" The group nodded, including James, who had been curious enough to actually come with them for once. As one, the five of them turned to enter the hospital... and stopped.

Skyler was waiting for them, leaning nonchalantly against a pillar just outside the hospital doors. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you," he told them. "It's gotten a bit chaotic since news spread that someone with the power to heal is in that building." He eyed them with disinterest. "I assume that's what you're here for, right?"

Matt clenched his fists, willing himself to stay calm. He couldn't allow himself to fly off the handle. Not here. Not in front of a hospital.

Suddenly, a scuffle broke out behind him. Turning, he saw James and Katie working together to restrain Leah, who had a savage look on her face. She yanked against the hands holding her back, but otherwise said nothing, her eyes fixated on Skyler.

Matt turned to her. "Leah, calm down," he said intently. "This is not the place to start acting crazy, got it?" She nodded and settled down somewhat, but that intense fury never left her gaze, and said gaze never left the man in the grey suit.

Skyler watched this brief series of events with abject curiosity. Addressing Matt, he said sarcastically, "One day, you and I will be able to meet without a member of your team attempting to kill me."

"Yeah, well today's not that day," Matt retorted. "Besides, after what you did to Dan, I'd say she's justified in her actions."

Realization spread across Skyler's face. "Ah... my extraction method," he said. "So that's what this is about. You're cross with me because of what I did to your teammate, aren't you?"

Dan tapped Leah on the shoulder and pointed at Skyler. "So is that the guy who caused my memory loss?" he asked.

She nodded, the voice of her friend tempering her fury. Then she asked, "How come you aren't angrier? This guy ruined your life."

Dan shrugged. "It's hard to hate someone you've never met."

Listening to this, Skyler's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You, boy," he called. "What happened to you? What did the extraction actually do to you?"

"It wiped his memory!" Leah snarled before Dan had a chance to answer. "You wiped out every trace of the person he once was – you might as well have killed him!"

"I see," Skyler replied. "That is indeed tragic. But also very interesting... mild memory loss has always been a side-effect of my extraction, but I've never seen it as a primary effect."

Leah stared at him, aghast. "Don't you care?" she asked. "We've just shown you the destruction that your quest for power leaves in its wake, and you find it interesting?! Don't you even care what you did to him?!"

"So that's why you came here," Skyler remarked, ignoring the questions. "You came to try and capture that woman's Number, in the hopes that it will heal your friend. Well, I'm afraid it won't work. The damage runs too deep – nothing can heal him now. Besides, you're too late anyway."

Matt's eyes widened. "Wait, does that mean you-"

Skyler shook his head. "No, I didn't capture the Number. I never got an opportunity. With her newfound powers, that woman has become somewhat of a celebrity, and as such, every hospital in the world is demanding her services. She is currently on her way to a hospital in Sargasso, where she will do much the same thing as she did here. But eventually she'll return to this city, and that's when I'll get h-"

"You haven't answered my question," Leah growled. "Do you care about what you've done to all your victims? Answer me now."

Skyler stared at her, his pale blue eyes giving nothing away. "I can't afford to care," he said, choosing his words carefully. "My mission requires absolute focus and dedication, so I can't afford to be distracted by feelings of remorse."

Leah made to charge him again, and it took James and Katie's full strength just to hold her back. Matt watched her sadly – he knew what she was about to say, and he also knew that there was nothing he could do to stop her. And sure enough, mere seconds later:

"Skyler, I challenge you!"

Skyler nodded; he seemed to have anticipated this as well. "I suppose this was an eventuality," he sighed, no emotion tainting his voice. "It's a violent chain reaction – your friend gets hurt, so you duel me. Then another of your friends will challenge me because you get hurt, and so on, and so forth." He shook his head. "But I'm certainly not complaining. You have several Numbers, including Number 93 which is a strong Number, and any chance to free a batch of Numbers from Professor Usur's control is most welcome. So yes, girl, I accept your-"

"Wait, wait, hold up," Katie interrupted. Everyone turned to look at her. "Strong Numbers. That's what you're after, isn't it?"

Skyler nodded. "That's my mission, yes."

"So are you seeking this new Number to heal yourself?" she asked.

"Heal myself?"

"Yeah, are you trying to grow back that missing limb of yours," she queried, pointing at Skyler's right arm.

"Certainly not," he replied, looking genuinely surprised. "My synthetic limb provides me with many advantages that I didn't have before. Why would I want to revert back to an inferior version of myself?"

"Then why do you want that Number?" Katie asked, totally lost. "The power to heal isn't particularly strong, and it certainly won't help you enact revenge on the Professor, so why do you want it?"

Skyler paused, and seemed to take an abnormally long amount of time thinking of a response. "A Number holder going public like this is dangerous," he replied slowly. "If another Number Hunter were to get wind of this, they would be down here in a flash to secure the Number, and then I would have to deal with even more, potentially very powerful Number Hunters. It's not a risk I'm willing to take."

He was lying. Katie knew he was lying. That story didn't make sense from any angle. The Skyler they knew didn't care about other Number Hunters, no matter how powerful they might be. And he certainly wouldn't be worried about attracting them, because the arrival of more Number Hunters would mean the arrival of more Numbers, which Skyler could capture and use for himself.

Something didn't add up.

Then, out of nowhere, Matt spoke up. "Skyler, I challenge you!"

All four members of Team Delta looked round at their leader, surprised.

"No," Skyler replied. "It'll have to wait. Your zesty friend has already challenged me, remember?"

"I know," Matt retorted, "and I'm challenging you as well."

Skyler's eyes narrowed. "You mean..."

"That's right, a three-way duel," Matt stated confidently. "You, me, and Leah, winner takes all."

"Matt, what're you doing?" Leah hissed. "This guy is lethal! Why're you getting involved in a duel like this?"

"Two reasons," Matt replied. "Firstly, I don't want to let you fight this guy all on your own. And secondly, I've had another idea." He pointed up at the hospital. "Forget Deiana. Forget the healing Number. Maybe if we recapture Glacial Dragon - Dan's original Number - and return it to him, then maybe that'll help jog his memory loose."

"How the hell would that work?" James queried.

"Think about it," Matt prompted. "A person's original Number is a projection of that person's true soul. Dan's soul has been damaged, so maybe getting Glacial Dragon back will help in some way."

James glanced at Dan. "You think that'll work?"

Dan shrugged. "No idea," he said doubtfully. "But it's worth a try. If losing my Numbers caused this, maybe recovering them will fix it, I dunno..."

"A 'maybe' is good enough for me," Leah said, managing a smile. Then she turned back to Skyler. "Alright, that's the challenge. A three-way duel between me, you, and Matt."

"So I'd effectively be taking on two duelists at once," Skyler said. "And the benefit to me is...?"

"If you win, you get to take all our Numbers at once," Matt replied. "Plus, you'll also reduce our team down to one member."

"Hey, what about me?" James piped up.

"My mistake," Matt amended. "One _functional_ member." James bit back a retort.

Skyler considered this proposal for a moment, weighing up the pros and cons. Finally he nodded. "Very well, I accept your challenge. Although..." he glanced up at the hospital behind him, "...might I suggest we hold this duel somewhere a little less public?"

Matt nodded. "Agreed."

*SOME TIME LATER*

This park was full of bad memories. It was the place where Dan and Skyler had dueled several weeks ago, and although the council had put a little effort into repairing it, the marks left by that previous duel were everywhere. Matt, Leah, and Skyler had set themselves out in a triangle formation, while the remaining three stood well back from the imminent action.

"We'll duel using the Battle Royal rules," Skyler announced, as the three duelists prepared their dueling equipment. "Each player will start with 4000 Life Points, and play will end once only a single duelist remains. We'll take our turns going in a circle, starting with me, then the boy, then the girl, then back to me. Also, no players can attack until every player has taken at least one full turn. Is that acceptable?"

"I guess so," Leah replied, hooking her D-Gazer over her ear. "But before we start, I have one other condition."

"Oh?" Skyler raised an eyebrow.

"I'm well aware that you have the ability to block our extraction method," she explained. "But when you dueled Dan, he made you agree not to use it, and to give up your Numbers without a fight if you lost."

"Well remembered," Matt complemented her.

"Ah yes, that," Skyler nodded. "Fear not, zesty Delta, no matter what you may think of my actions I'm still a man of my word. If you defeat me, I shall surrender my Numbers without argument."

Leah nodded. "Alright then."

"Out of curiosity," Matt asked, "how many Numbers do you have on you at the moment?"

"Ten," came the reply.

Matt had expected such a figure, but his heart sank regardless. He and Leah had exactly eleven Numbers between them, which meant that Skyler had almost double the amount of Numbers that each of them had.

He shook his head. _'No,'_ he told himself as the augmented reality field rose up around them. _'Don't start thinking like that. Not now. Not when there's so much at stake…' _Glancing across at Leah, he wondered what her plan for this duel was. Was she going to play it safe and duel like she normally did? Or would she let her emotions get the better of her and go all out to hurt Skyler as much as possible? No... she wouldn't. That just wasn't the way she was...

_"AR Vision – link established.'_

"DUEL!"

**Skyler LP:** 4000

**Matt LP:** 4000

**Leah LP:** 4000

"As agreed, I'll take the first move," Skyler stated. "I draw. I'll merely set a monster face-down and end my turn." His mystery monster appeared directly in front of him.

"Then it's my turn, I draw," Matt said. "I Special Summon Double Delta Warrior!" A thin warrior appeared, wearing a sickly-green chest plate, with long blue flags jutting from the shoulder pads.

Double Delta Warrior: Warrior-Type/WIND/Level 6/ATK 0/DEF 2200

"I can Special Summon this card from my hand if my opponent controls at least one monster and I don't control any monsters," Matt explained. "Next, I Normal Summon Laval Lancelord!" The patch of ground next to Double Delta Warrior suddenly erupted, showering the field with burning rock and giving birth to a new monster. Its torso was made entirely out of stone, it carried a permanently-burning spear in its right hand, and wore a strange garment around its waist with strings and tassels trailing from it like a kilt.

Laval Lancelord: Warrior-Type/FIRE/Level 6/ATK 2100/DEF 200

"This card can simply be Normal Summoned without Tributing," Matt said. "But if I do-"

"-then it gets sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase." Skyler finished. "I'm well aware of what your rookie cards do, foolish Delta."

Matt ignored the interruption. "Level six Laval Lancelord and Double Delta Warrior, Overlay!" One of Matt's Warriors morphed into a fully red mass of energy, while the other one copied it in all but colour, instead turning green. Together, both monsters shot into the air, clearing the way for a portal in the shape of a galaxy to appear beneath them. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two Material Monsters spiralled down into the portal, which exploded upwards. "Rise up! **Number 51: Dark Excalibur**!"

As a dark red fifty-one etched itself onto the back of Matt's right hand, a dull black sphere of metal rose out of the residue, with wicked-looking spikes protruding from the sides. Streaks of red shot across the sphere, etching intricate patterns into its surface, and with a grinding noise, the sphere began to separate along them. Slowly, the sphere changed its shape - separating, reconnecting, and slowly changing - into the likeness of a warrior in pitch black armour. It wore no helmet, and was outlined with a red glow, which only made it look darker. The fearsome spikes were now attached to its shoulders, which gave its armour a fierce appearance. The warrior stretched out its arms, its blood-red cape billowing out behind it, then reached behind it and drew its sword with a cry of war. The sword was split at the handle, so it appeared as two blades running up from the hilt. The blade itself was covered with runes, and the red number fifty-one was visible on the front of the monster's right shoulder. Its two purple Overlay Units circled it.

**Number 51: Dark Excalibur: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/****ATK_2800****/DEF 2000 – 2 OLU**

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Matt's face-down card materialized right behind his Number. "Hey Leah, you think you can match that?"

"Easy," she replied. "I draw. I Normal Summon **Borealis Tatami**!" In a burst of spectral lights, a rainbow-hued angel appeared, garbed in a simple white piece of cloth.

**Borealis Tatami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/****ATK 1700****/DEF 1100**

"Tatami's effect activates," Leah declared. "When it's Normal Summoned, I can add any Borealis monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose **Borealis Leger**." At her command, her duel disk extracted the card, which she placed in her hand. "Next I activate the Field Spell Card, Ice Fire World!"

She slapped the card into her Field Card Zone, and watched as the entire field morphed into an icy prairie, with frozen sculptures surrounding them and a giant crack running across the centre of the field like an icy canyon. Inside the canyon, a river of light-blue flames were seething and churning.

"Intriguing..." Skyler muttered, examining his new surroundings.

"As long as this card is in play," Leah was explaining. "Any player can treat WATER monsters they control as two Xyz Material Monsters for an Xyz Summon." As if on cue, an arc of blue fire shot out of the canyon and engulfed Tatami. The Spirit flickered and distorted behind the wall of flames, then suddenly split into two mirror images. "Level four **Borealis Tatami**, Overlay!" The illusionary mirror-images morphed into two blue amorphous masses, then flew upwards. Another galaxy-style portal opened beneath them. "I use this monster, treated as two monsters, to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The energy bolts sailed down into the portal, which exploded, kicking up a gust of wind. "Arise, **Number 10: Terra Storm**!"

The yellow number ten etched itself onto the back of her right hand. From out of the portal rose a small brown rock, no larger than a beach ball. But it was spinning... spinning on its axis at an impossible speed, drawing the blustering winds and dust around it in a spiral shape. The scything currents slowly began to rip up pieces of grass and dirt, which were hurled into the core of the tornado, and pressed against the small rock, which was slowly getting bigger as more and more substance was added to it. Finally, once its bulk filled most of the tornado, a pair of large grey eyes opened on the front of the giant boulder that had formed. The yellow number ten was printed onto the boulder's surface, just below the eyes, and a single green Overlay Unit circled it, seemingly unaffected by the winds.

**Number 10: Terra Storm: Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/****DEF_2600**** – 1 OLU**

"Then I'll set one card face-down and end my turn," Leah said, placing her card onto her duel disk.

"My turn, I draw." Skyler wasted no time in beginning his turn. "I Flip Summon Tin Goldfish." His sole face-down card flipped over, then shattered as a flat, robotic fish burst out from under it.

Tin Goldfish: Machine-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 800/DEF 2000

"Then I activate the Spell Card, Level Wing," Skyler added, placing the card on his duel disk. "This card lets me choose a number between one and three, then it increases the Level of a monster I control by that amount. I'll choose to give Tin Goldfish three extra Levels."

Tin Goldfish: Level 4 → 7

"And now," Skyler gave Leah a savage grin, "I'll use the effect of your Field Spell, Ice Fire World, which lets me treat my WATER-Attribute Tin Goldfish as two Xyz Material Monsters."

"No!" Leah gasped, as another globule of azure fire flew out of the ravine and struck the metal fish, creating an identical duplicate of it.

"I'm afraid so," Skyler replied. "If you both insist on Summoning your Numbers so early on, then I have no choice but to match it. Level seven Tin Goldfish, Overlay." The single monster in the guise of two shot up as two bolts of blue energy. Where they had been, yet another galaxy-shaped portal opened. "I use this monster, treated as two monsters, to construct the Overlay Network. Xyz Summon." The members of Team Delta all covered their ears as the monsters flew into the portal, Katie signalling for Dan to do likewise. As the portal exploded with light, a huge boom resounded across the field, confirming their fears. "Come forth! **Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon**!"

An orange light blazed trails across Skyler's non-robotic hand, spelling out the glowing number twenty-five. From out of the portal shot a giant green object, folded down into the shape of a cone. It soared high above the duel, then straight down, then across the field, then up again... it was too fast to keep track of. With another sonic-boom that made the spectators cry out in agony and clutch their ears again, the cone-like construct began to shed parts of its body – or rather, they were being stripped away by the sheer speed of the creature. Piece by piece, a figure began to take shape – a scaly turquoise body, a solid half-ring of scales jutting out of its neck, vicious-looking claws attached to the central vane of its two wings... those wings themselves were magnificent. They were green and bat-like, and seemed to be emitting a stream of green energy, which was propelling the dragon through the air like a pair of jets. With perfectly controlled movements, the dragon wheeled around in the air and soared down to settle behind its owner, its lone bright green Overlay Unit barely managing to keep up.

**Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 7/ATK 2400/DEF 1700 – 1 OLU**

* * *

Author-made cards:

Borealis Tatami  
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100  
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Borealis" monster from your Deck to your hand.

Number 51: Dark Excalibur  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000  
2 Level 6 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is unaffected by Spell effects. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card immediately attacks again. While this card has no Overlay Units attached to it, you cannot activate Spell Cards.

Number 10: Terra Storm (credit to Superjad)  
Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack while in face-up Defence Position. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. During your next Battle Phase after this effect was used, this card can attack your opponent directly, and if that effect was used more than once since your last Battle Phase, this card's maximum number of attacks this turn is equal to the number of times that effect was used since your last Battle Phase.

Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 7/ATK 2400/DEF 1700  
2 Level 7 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. While you control no other monsters, this card can attack your opponent directly. Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card immediately declares an attack (the Battle Step and Damage Step for both attacks occur simultaneously). This card must be in face-up Attack Position to activate and resolve this effect.

* * *

**Fun Fact #5: Yep, Sonicboom Dragon's back for round two.**

**Fun Fact #6: When we said that FanFictionDotNet is now allowing the underlining of bolded things, we forgot to mention that it's being extremely finicky about it. Sometimes it will allow certain pieces of the text to be underlined, but not the spaces in between them, which forces us to replace them with an underscore to make it look more consistent. So, if you ever see a slightly larger-than-normal gap between the word 'ATK' or 'DEF' and the actual number, then you know what the cause is - FanFictionDotNet's document editor being a pain again.**

**Fun Fact #7: Ice Fire World... that card, just... that card... hell hath no fury like a Mermail Atlantean Deck running that card.**

**Fun Fact #8: To answer some of your questions, Fun Fact #4 from the previous chapter was just that: a Fun Fact. Just a random bit of trivia we felt like sharing. It doesn't have anything to do with the story. Sorry for the confusion.**

**Fun Fact #9: At precisely 4094 words, this is the longest single chapter we've ever written. *Insert applause here***

**Fun Fact #10: We forgot to put this in the previous chapter, so we'll put it here. AuroraSol (Leah's alternate account) has started writing a story of her own, which ties in to the ones on this account. It tells the backstory of James, Katie, Keane, and Esta, and if you haven't checked it out already, I highly recommend you do so.**


	3. Part 1: Ch 3

**Skyler LP:** 4000

**Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 7/****ATK 2400****/DEF 1700 – 1 OLU**

**Matt LP:** 4000

**Number 51: Dark Excalibur: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/****ATK 2800****/DEF 2000 – 2 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Leah LP:** 4000

**Number 10: Terra Storm: Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/****DEF 2600**** – 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Ice Fire World [Field Card], 1 set card

Matt cursed himself over and over again. How had he allowed this to happen? Leah and him were facing one of the most dangerous men on the planet in what might as well have been a battle to the death, and they'd just allowed him to Summon one of his most deadly monsters with ease. What was he thinking?

More to the point, what was Leah thinking? Matt glanced over at her, and realised that beyond taking her turn, she hadn't said a great deal throughout the duel. Even after Sonicboom Dragon was Summoned she had hardly reacted, and was instead just gazing up at it, waiting to see what it would do next. _'Who knows,' _he considered, _'maybe she burnt out all her anger in front of the hospital.'_

Somehow he doubted it.

"Battle!" Skyler declared, making him jump. "Sonicboom Dragon, attack the lead Delta directly." The dragon spread its wings wide and tensed its legs, preparing to leap into the air once again.

"Hold up!" Matt interrupted. "I activate the Trap Card, Fiendish Chain!" His lone face-down card flipped up, and from it, an array of steel chains shot out and ensnared Skyler's dragon. The supersonic Number let out a soundless howl of outrage, and launched the jets of green energy embedded in its wings, but despite its best efforts it couldn't quite get airborne. "With this card," Matt explained, "the monster I target can't attack, and its effects are negated."

"I'm aware," Skyler said in a bored tone. "Moving to Main Phase two, I Summon Tin Goldfish." Another mechanical fish materialized, right next to where the first one had been floating mere seconds ago.

Tin Goldfish: Machine-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 800/DEF 2000

"Tin Goldfish's effect activates," Skyler went on. "With it, I can Special Summon another Level four monster from my hand. I choose Dark Catapulter." The mechanized dragonic creature appeared.

Dark Catapulter: Machine-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500

"Now I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Star Changer." Skyler's second Spell Card for that turn appeared. "This card lets me modify the Level of a monster on the field by one. I'll target Tin Goldfish, and choose to reduce its Level."

Tin Goldfish: Level 4 → 3

"Next I use the effect of Ice Fire World once again." As if on cue, a jet of pale blue fire sailed out of the crevice that still separated them, and enveloped his monster. "With this effect, I can treat my Tin Goldfish as two monsters for an Xyz Summon. So Level three Tin Goldfish, Overlay." From within the globule of fire, two bolts of blue energy shot out and into the sky. On the frozen ground beneath them, a galaxy-shaped portal opened, extinguishing what was left of the fire. "I use this monster, treated as two monsters, to construct the Overlay Network. Xyz Summon." The single material monster, manifested as two monsters, spiralled down into the portal, which erupted with light. "Appear, **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**."

A blue number sixty-eight flashed over the field and onto the back of Skyler's left shoulder, as out of the residue of the portal rose a massive dragon egg. It was black, white, and light-blue, and its texture was far from smooth, with a bumpy surface and regular gaps where a scaly skin was visible. With a loud crack, the egg split down the middle and began to divide, showering the field with lumps of ice. More ice shattered as the creature inside uncurled itself from the egg, and split the egg further by spreading its wings. The ground was soon littered with chunks of ice. With a final effort, the dragon finally uncurled itself completely – revealing that the egg had really been its curled-up body covered in ice – and flapped its wings once, brushing the duelists with an icy wind. The dragon had a black and white snake-like body with light blue highlights, a tail with a membrane on the end much like a fish, two long whiskers curling away from its nose - both drifting about in the breeze - and piercing teal eyes. The blue number sixty-eight was imprinted on its forehead, and it was orbited by a single blue Overlay Unit.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/****ATK 1000****/DEF 1000 – 1 OLU**

Leah felt her anger returning in full force as she laid eyes on her friend's dragon. Her hands curled into involuntary fists – she could actually feel her blood reaching boiling point. Turning to Skyler, she shouted, "How dare you! How could you even think of using Dan's Number like that?! After everything you did to him, the least you could do is show respect!"

"Yeah!" Katie shouted. "Where's your sense of honour?"

"Yeah!" Dan shouted. "You've got some nerve using my own card against my friends!"

"Yeah!" James shouted. "What they said!"

Skyler shrugged. "It's rather curious, don't you think?"

Leah's eyes narrowed. "What is?"

In response, Skyler jerked a thumb behind him, pointing at his two dragons. "You all seem to be very angry with me for Summoning that weakling's Number, and indeed, that is a very callous thing for a person to do. But let me ask you, where is that same passion for Number 25?" He lowered his hand. "I found Sonicboom Dragon's original owner – Melodi, I think her name was – and together with my Numbers I destroyed her with ease. Would you like to know what happened to her after I extracted Number 25 from her?"

_'NO-NO-NO-NO!' _Leah's common sense screamed to her, but she ignored it. "Go on..."

"She developed anthropophobia," Skyler replied nonchalantly. "In short, she is terrified of people. Whether it be me, you, the doctors, her own mother and father... she is absolutely petrified of everyone. She can never go outside because the sight of so many people walking the street would cause her too much trauma." His gaze swept across the wall of horrified faces, before settling on Dan. "Compared to her, young Delta... I'd say you got off easy."

Dan took a fearful step back. This guy was messed up in all sorts of ways. In front of him, Leah was literally shaking with rage.

"Also," Skyler glanced at Katie, "honour is not the same thing as respect, girl. Just because I have no respect for your friend – indeed, for any of you – that doesn't mean I'm not an honourable person."

"No way. Don't you dare call yourself honourable, Skyler," Matt growled warningly before Katie could say a word. "You maim and injure people unnecessarily just for the sake of denying us the Numbers, when my team are the good guys trying to save the city from destr-."

"I'm not having this argument with you again," Skyler replied wearily. "You may see yourself as the good guys, but while you work for the Professor, you're slowly bringing about the destruction of the world, and you don't even realise it. I've made it my mission to stop that from happening and to get revenge on the Professor for everything he did to me personally, and if I have to purge each of you from the face of the planet first, then so be it." Apparently disinclined to continue their conversation any further, he plucked a card from his dwindling hand and activated it. "I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Treasure, which lets me draw one card for every Xyz Monster in play. There are four, so I draw four cards." He drew his cards, substantially bolstering his hand. "I place three cards face-down and end my turn."

Matt's rage had quickly been replaced by fear. In the space of a single turn, Skyler had abused the advantages of his opponent's card perfectly, Summoning two Numbers, and with a single card had replenished all of his dwindling resources. Did he need any more reminding of how powerful Skyler was?

"My turn, draw." Matt already knew what he had to do, and he knew exactly how he was going to do it as well. _'Sonicboom Dragon's no threat anymore,' _he thought to himself. _'I can attack without fear of it using its effect. But Glacial Dragon… if Skyler uses its effect next turn to cancel Fiendish Chain's effect, then Sonicboom Dragon will be able to attack.' _He shuddered as he remembered the last time Sonicboom Dragon had been allowed to attack freely. He was determined not to let it happen again. "Battle! Dark Excalibur, attack Glacial Dragon!" The warrior shouldered its blade and started forwards, the icy dragon set firmly in its sights...

"I activate the Trap Card, Xyz Weight!" Skyler declared. One of his three face-downs flipped up. "With this, I can target any Xyz Monster you control, and reduce its ATK by 800 points for each Overlay Unit attached to it. Number 51 has two, so it loses 1600 ATK." The black-armoured Number suddenly staggered and came to a halt, as the glowing trails of its Overlay Units suddenly transformed into chains, wrapping themselves around the warrior.

**Number 51: Dark Excalibur: ATK 2800 **→** 1200**

"Matt," Leah cried. "Glacial Dragon-"

"Not good!" Matt gasped, realising what was about to happen.

"Number 68's effect activates!" Skyler continued. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units, it gains ATK equal to the detached monster's original ATK." One of the icy dragon's blue orbs broke orbit and was absorbed into the gem on its forehead, producing a sharp blue flash.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"Tin Goldfish has 800 ATK, so those points are transferred to the Number."

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: ATK 1000 **→** 1800**

"Retaliate, Number 68!" Skyler ordered. Matt closed his eyes and braced himself, waiting for the pain...

It didn't come.

Puzzled, he opened his eyes and gazed up. Dark Excalibur was still in the centre of the field, on the edge of the icy crevice, still struggling with the chains that ensnared it. The dragon opposing it hadn't moved, nor made any attempt to launch a counterattack, as Skyler had ordered it. Instead, it was staring past Skyler, past Dark Excalibur, past even Matt and Leah.

It was staring at Dan, its original owner.

As if sensing that something was wrong, Sonicboom Dragon, still wrapped in chains of its own, turned its head to look at its fellow Number. Skyler did likewise, looking up at the dragon behind him. "Now..." he said firmly, a threatening note creeping into his voice.

Glacial Dragon hesitated a moment longer, then obediently drew its head back and launched an icy ray across the canyon. Dark Excalibur cried out in pain as it was struck, and dissipated. Matt gasped and clutched his right hand as his Number's destruction translated into pain for him. Then, without warning, the shockwaves from the attack slammed into him, lifting him off his feet and depositing him a few feet away, breathless and freezing.

**Matt LP:** 4000 → 3400

Skyler glanced up at the Number one more time. There was no concern or apprehension in his eyes, just a detached curiosity. It was all a trifling amusement to him. He was still perfectly in control. "Anything else, foolish Delta?"

Matt gingerly picked himself up and examined his hand, searching for a way to go back on the offensive. When none presented itself, he instead opted for the defensive approach. "I Set one monster, plus one other face-down card. Turn end."

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: ATK 1800 **→** 1000**

"My turn, draw!" Leah glanced at her drawn card, and nodded with satisfaction. If this had been a more casual duel, she would have been grinning. Unfortunately, such expressions didn't come easily nowadays. "Alright, I Summon **Borealis Leger**!" A longbow-toting angel materialised, bringing with it an ethereal, rainbow-hued light.

**Borealis Leger: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/****ATK 1400****/DEF 600**

"Leger's effect activates," she continued. "When this card is Summoned, I can target one Spirit monster I control and increase its Level by one. I'll have it target itself!" The angel raised the longbow above its head and fired a single arrow straight up. Almost as soon as it left the bow, the arrow burst into particles of light with a small 'pop', showering the Spirit with light.

**Borealis Leger: Level 4 **→** 5**

"I'll bet you know what's coming next," Leah grinned. "I use the effect of Ice Fire World to treat **Borealis Leger** as two monsters!" Yet another globule of fire leapt out of the frozen crevice and enveloped the Spirit in a blue, wavering aura. "Level five **Borealis Leger**, Overlay!" Where there had once been a single monster, two blue amorphous masses darted out of the flames. Another galaxy-shaped portal opened up, cracking the ice around it and dispelling the remainder of the fire. "I use this monster, treated as two monsters, to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The bolts of energy chased each other down into the portal, which exploded with light. "Be born! **Number 17: Passion Aurora**!"

The green number seventeen flashed above the field and onto Leah's left hand, and a spinning sideways-oval crest rose out of the portal, sporting three sharp protrusions; two from the side and one from underneath. Protruding from the side of each 'spike' were two downy wings, making for six in total. Lines of light traced across the surface of the crest as it started to unfold. All six wings stretched out. A pitch-black humanoid figure, covered in shining gold armour, began to take form. Two scarf-like strips of fabric, one grey and one purple, hung from its waste. It had spikes on its kneecaps, and pointed feet. Everything about the creature looked synthetic, with the sole exception of its downy wings. With one final battle cry, the angelic warrior stretched out its arms and wings, then took its position ready for battle, orbited by a lonely yellow Overlay Unit.

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU**

* * *

Author-made cards:

Borealis Leger  
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 600  
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 face-up Spirit monster you control; that target gains 1 Level.

Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 7/ATK 2400/DEF 1700  
2 Level 7 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. While you control no other monsters, this card can attack your opponent directly. Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card immediately declares an attack (the Battle Step and Damage Step for both attacks occur simultaneously). This card must be in face-up Attack Position to activate and resolve this effect.

Number 51: Dark Excalibur  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000  
2 Level 6 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is unaffected by Spell effects. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card immediately attacks again. While this card has no Overlay Units attached to it, you cannot activate Spell Cards.

Number 10: Terra Storm (credit to Superjad)  
Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack while in face-up Defence Position. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. During your next Battle Phase after this effect was used, this card can attack your opponent directly, and if that effect was used more than once since your last Battle Phase, this card's maximum number of attacks this turn is equal to the number of times that effect was used since your last Battle Phase.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: you can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the detached monster in the Graveyard until the End Phase.

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #11: Numbers!**

**Fun Fact #12: So, is Ice Fire World possibly the most abusable Field Spell Card in the history of forever? I think it might be.**

**Fun Fact #13: Those of you who've read the start of AuroraSol's story may have noticed the introduction of a new character to our canon, known as 'The Stranger'. Let me make one thing clear now - this was not planned. We had no idea that AuroraSol was going to introduce an interesting new character like that, and the only person who actually knows who this Stranger really is is AuroraSol herself. The rest of us don't know anything more about The Stranger than you guys do. And she won't tell us anything!**

**Fun Fact#14: Just so we're clear on this, none of us are going to mourn the loss of Sangan. Ever. At all. Regardless. Sangan was a total pain ever since Tour Guide came out; it's overstayed its welcome, and we're glad to be rid of it.**


	4. Part 1: Ch 4

**Skyler LP:** 4000

**Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 7/ATK 2400/DEF 1700 – 1 OLU**

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 0 OLU**

Dark Catapulter: Machine-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 2 set cards

**Matt LP:** 3400

1 set monster

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Fiendish Chain [targeting **Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon**], 1 set card

**Leah LP:** 4000

**Number 10: Terra Storm: Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600 – 1 OLU**

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Ice Fire World [Field Card], 1 set card

"Really?" Skyler smirked. His face showed nothing but scorn for the new arrival. "You honestly think that a pair of weak Numbers like them will be able to stop me?"

"You mocked Dan's so-called 'weak Numbers' in your first duel with him," Leah replied. "And remember how that duel ended?"

"Yes. I also recall mocking the boy's weak Numbers in our second duel, and remember how that duel ended?"

Leah bit back a scathing retort. Absent-mindedly, she ran a finger over the band affixed to her wrist, which their team used to hold back the Number's influence. The metal felt smooth and cold against her fingers. She didn't need it most of the time – she'd gained mastery over her Numbers ages ago – yet she still wore it now. She still needed it to extract Numbers from others... and besides, tempers were running high in this duel. She couldn't risk one of her Numbers overpowering her with her own anger while she was distracted.

Then there was the doubt instilled in her mind. She didn't want to attack Glacial Dragon, it was as simple as that. After seeing Dan use it so many times, she had learnt to associate it with her friend more than she realised. She knew that it was her enemy now, and she knew that she had to get it off the field before Skyler used its effect to free Sonicboom Dragon. That was what Matt had tried to do with Dark Excalibur. She knew that.

But still...

"Battle!" she declared suddenly, determined to get her attacks in before her resolve wavered any further. "Terra Storm, attack Glacial Dragon!" Behind her, the cyclone threw itself forwards, crossing the icy crevice beneath it as though it wasn't there.

Skyler reacted instantly. "I activate the Trap Card, Champion's Hurricane!" One of his two Trap Cards flipped up. "With this, my monster isn't destroyed by this battle, and you get to share in any Battle Damage I take from this battle!" With the force of a nuclear bomb, Terra Storm fell on the enemy Number. Skyler covered his face as the savage winds howled around him, and Glacial Dragon roared in agony as the tornado attempted to devour it. Beside him, the Trap Card flared with light, and a pulse of wind broke away from the tornado ravaging Skyler's field and launched itself at Leah. Having not anticipated a counterattack, Leah felt the breath being driven out of her, and she staggered back, even as Skyler received the same treatment across from her. Nonetheless, as Skyler had said, Glacial Dragon remained unharmed, and Terra Storm was forced to retreat, a look of visible disappointment in its grey eyes.

**Skyler LP:** 4000 → 3500

**Leah LP:** 4000 → 3500

"Ok, so you blocked one attack," Leah said, regaining her composure. "But I still have one more! Go, Passion Aurora, attack Glacial Dragon again!" The synthetic angel held up its hand, its palm pointing at the dragon. With a crackling sound, Passion Aurora's palm began to take on an electric green hue.

"Hmph, pathetic," Skyler muttered. "I activate the Trap Card, Champion's Hurricane!" His last remaining face-down card activated.

"Another one?" Katie gasped from the side-lines.

"With this," Skyler explained, albeit unnecessarily, "my monster is once again safe, and you'll be taking the same damage as me!"

With a jolt Leah realised that – although she'd been hoping to save her face-down card for later – the potential damage was too high this time. She had to block some of it. "In chain, I activate the Trap Card, Half Unbreak!" Her own face-down card flipped up. "By targeting one monster on the field, this card prevents that monster from being destroyed by battle, and halves any Battle Damage players take from battles that involve that target. I target **Number 17: Passion Aurora**!"

As if on cue, her Trap released a stream of multi-coloured bubbles, which gravitated to and enveloped her Number. At the last of the bubbles took its place, the angel fired, launching a searing beam of emerald light straight into Glacial Dragon's chest – however, having to pass through all the bubbles had sapped most of the beam's power, and instead of howling in pain, the dragon held its ground and snarled defiantly. As the shockwaves from the attack travelled onto Skyler, his Trap lit up once again, sending an identical series of shockwaves at Leah. Both duelists were struck at the same moment.

**Skyler LP:** 3500 → 2750

**Leah LP:** 3500 → 2750

As she picked herself up, Leah reflected that things really weren't going well. Bruised and winded, she concluded her move regardless. "I place one card face-down. Turn end."

"I suppose I owe you a thank you," Skyler said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he dusted himself off. "That Half Unbreak card actually protected me just as much as you." He snorted derisively.

"What's so funny?" Matt growled.

"Oh nothing," Skyler replied. "I just find it amusing when duelists like you make such spectacular errors of judgement."

"Hey, there was nothing wrong with my move!" Leah said defensively. "I reacted to your Trap Card just like any duelist other would've."

"Precisely my point," Skyler said. "You're not a skilled duelist. You're not unique in the slightest, and your strategies have no unusual flare to them. You're just like all the other duelists in this city - weak, over-reliant on hope, and too afraid to take chances. You're average, nothing more. My turn, draw."

Dark Catapulter: 0 → 1 Counter

"I activate Number 68's effect!" he declared. "Once per turn, I can target one card on the field and cancel all of its effects until the End Phase."

_'Here we go,' _Matt thought, casting a sideways glance at his own Fiendish Chain card. _'Looks like we'll have to endure an attack from Sonicboom Dragon after all. Still, at least it still can't attack directly, and Fiendish Chain will reapply itself during the End Pha-'_

"I target **Number 17: Passion Aurora**!"

Leah and Matt gasped with surprise. The icy dragon obediently drew back its head and launched a ball of white energy at the opposing Number. It flared with light on contact, and when it faded, the angel's body was coated with a dusting of ice.

"Eh?" Matt said, voicing what everyone was thinking. "Why on earth would you choose Passion Aurora? Why not Fiendish Chain?"

Skyler laughed. It was such an unnatural sound, unfitting with the rest of his persona. His mirth didn't even reach as far as his eyes, which were still full of malice. Even when he started speaking again, the scorn never left his voice. "You kids are a bunch of idiots. Both of you," he said, looking from one to the other. "You are, of course, aware of my philosophy surrounding Numbers, right?"

"You value the strong and disregard the weak," Matt replied.

"Precisely," Skyler nodded. "So why on earth do you think I would pin my entire strategy on a Number as weak as Number 68?"

Matt didn't say anything. He had a nasty feeling that he already knew the answer.

"Alright," Leah said. "So if you didn't Summon Number 68 for its effect, then why Summon it at all?"

Skyler shook his head in contempt. "I used it as a distraction."

Leah blinked. "A distraction?"

"A distraction," Skyler repeated. "They whole time both of you were pounding away on your friend's dragon, desperately trying to get it off the field, you missed the blindingly obvious. You overlooked a tiny, seemingly insignificant detail, and you've doomed yourself because of it." He raised his hand. "I activate the effect of Dark Catapulter! By banishing cards from my Graveyard equal to the amount of Counters on it, I can destroy an equal number of Spell or Trap Cards on the field." As if on cue, his duel disk spat the Xyz Treasure card out of his Graveyard.

Matt felt his blood run cold, and he mentally swore to himself over and over again. How could he have been so stupid? That Dark Catapulter card, the one that Skyler had Summoned with the effect of Tin Goldfish... Matt hadn't paid it any heed. None of them had. They hadn't even really registered it. It was just a by-product, a useful extra from Tin Goldfish.

He knew now that Skyler had played them both for fools. He'd Summoned Glacial Dragon because he knew that not only would it rile up both Leah and himself, but because he knew that they would pay more attention to its abilities, purely because it was a Number. So they had attacked it, lashed out at it, tried everything they could to get Glacial Dragon off the field, not realising that they were attacking the wrong monster the whole time; that Skyler's real secret weapon was a seemingly insignificant little monster kneeling next to the two behemoths, silently biding its time, waiting acquire that single fatal Counter that would free its master's ace monster.

Skyler smirked with satisfaction as he watched his opponent's mentally kick themselves. "I target Fiendish Chain." In response, a bolt of pale electricity jumped between the two conductors on Catapulter's back. Suddenly, and without warning, a ball of black energy launched itself from the monsters back and, still trailing the electrical charge, flew straight at Matt's Trap Card, which simply burst into pixels the second it was hit. The chains ensnaring Skyler's Number flashed white and dissipated into particles of light. Number 25 stretched, spreading its wings as wide as they would go, and opened its jaws in a soundless roar of triumph. Glacial Dragon shifted uncomfortably next to it.

Dark Catapulter: 1 → 0 Counters

"Now onto battle. Glacial Dragon, attack the face-down monster." This time there was no hesitation, no longing stares. The dragon turned to face Matt and immediately began charging its attack. In response, Matt's face-down monster flipped itself up, revealing a stone golem monster with lanterns affixed to its hulking shoulders, and a small candle burning away in each. Skyler winced at the reflected damage.

**Candlelight Golem: Rock-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 900/DEF 1200**

**Skyler LP:** 2750 → 2550

Skyler shrugged as if he couldn't care less. "Oh well," he said. "It was a longshot, but I guess you have nothing more to offer me, do you?" Glacial Dragon briefly glanced down at him, but otherwise didn't respond. "You pitiful, worthless, pathetic excuse for a Number," Skyler muttered scathingly. "Dark Catapulter proved itself more useful than you. A distraction... that's really the only thing you're good for, isn't it?"

Matt saw Leah about to shout at Skyler again, and knew it was a lost cause. Skyler wouldn't care about a thing she had to say. He would never respect his Numbers or his victims, and there was nothing Leah - or any of them for that matter - could say or do to change that.

Skyler was a lost cause. It was as simple as that.

Pushing the matter to the back of his mind, he pre-emptively interrupted Leah. "I activate **Candlelight Golem**'s Flip Effect! With it, I Special Summon another **Candlelight Golem** from my Deck!" A second stoney monster appeared to join the first, its shoulder-mounted lanterns likewise twinkling.

**Candlelight Golem: Rock-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 900/DEF 1200**

Skyler barely even registered the new monster, instead taking another card from his hand to play. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, **Overlay Thousand**!" The Spell appeared right next to Dark Catapulter. "With this card, all monsters I control that have 1000 or less ATK will be transformed into Overlay Units, and then attached to an Xyz Monster I control with more than 1000 ATK." He grinned savagely. "If I can't do anything else with these useless monsters, I might as have them serve some sort of purpose. So go, **Number 68: Glacial Dragon** and Dark Catapulter, attach to **Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon**!"

The **Overlay Thousand** Spell Card flashed with green light, and a teal-hued sphere of energy seemed to unfold from it, expanding outwards to encompass both of Skyler's weaker monsters. At that moment, both monsters turned fully green, as though preparing for an Xyz Summon, but then shrank down at a surprising rate, until all that was left of the monsters were two little green orbs of light. As the dome of energy retracted into the Spell Card, the pair of brand new Overlay Units soared serenely up into the air, and settled into orbit around the streamlined dragon. Leah looked distraught at Glacial Dragon's treatment.

**Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon: 1 **→** 3 OLU**

Matt braced himself for the worst. It didn't escape him that Skyler's gaze was still fixed firmly on him.

"I see you've figured it out, Delta," Skyler said. "Not only has my Spell Card saturated my dragon with Overlay Units, but it's also taken away every other monster on my field. Now Sonicboom Dragon is alone." Behind him, the dragon's lip curled up in a silent snarl. "And you know what that means... as long as Sonicboom Dragon is the only monster I control, it can attack players directly."

"Matt..." Leah called. "You're going to stop that thing right? I mean, you can't just let it attack you."

He said nothing.

"Matt, this thing's lethal," she tried again. "You can't just let it attack you. You still have your face-down... Matt, for goodness sake!"

"Just give it up, girl," Skyler snapped, his eyes still locked with Matt's. "It certainly seems like your leader has." He waited a moment longer, letting a tense silence fall over the battlefield. He enjoyed that silence. It always made his next move all the more potent. "Battle! **Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon**, direct attack!"

The green dragon had waited almost four turns – four excruciating, infuriating turns – for this moment. It waited no longer. With a single blast from the jets imbedded in its wings, the dragon propelled itself into the sky, wheeling about, revelling in its freedom. Then its movements began to change. They became more purposeful, more direct. The Deltas recognised it instantly; this was the build-up.

The Number flew in ever-increasing circles, building up to the speed it needed. Faster and faster it flew, so fast that it became little more than a green blur, a streak of colour whirling away above them, moving faster even than the winds of Terra Storm below it. Then, all of a sudden, Sonicboom Dragon reached its critical velocity, and the air in front of it seemed to tear with the force, spreading out around it like a smokey, distorted halo. Strangely, even though the Number had made so much noise upon its Summoning, it had still yet to make a sound of its own, even in this clearly supersonic display. The moment it sensed that it had achieved enough speed, Sonicboom Dragon stopped dead in the air, and the halo immediately coalesced into a sphere of pure condensed sound energy, clutched in the dragon's jaws. With no hesitation, the dragon fired the attack down at Matt, who braced himself and covered his ears.

Then the sphere struck.

All of the sound and kinetic energy packed into that tiny sphere was suddenly released, with force of several explosions, and much the same sound. Matt screamed. He couldn't help himself. He could actually feel the huge increase in air pressure around him, pounding against his body. It wasn't just his ears that felt the strain; every inch of his skin felt like it was on fire. His hair was tugging furiously against his scalp, threatening to rip itself up at the roots. Deep inside his head, he felt the horrible sensation of something tearing.

Then it was over. The sphere of energy dispelled itself, and without the intense pressure keeping his body rigid, Matt collapsed. He didn't try to get up – his body was aching too much. Vaguely, he was aware of his friends shouting at him, but they seemed so far away. Something warm and wet trickled down the side of his temple and into his eye...

**Matt LP:** 3400 → 1000

* * *

Author-made cards:

Candlelight Golem  
Rock-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 900/DEF 1200  
FLIP: Special Summon 1 "Steel Ogre Grotto #2" or 1 "Golem" monster (except "Goggle Golem") from your Deck in face-up Defence Position.

Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 7/ATK 2400/DEF 1700  
2 Level 7 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. While you control no other monsters, this card can attack your opponent directly. Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card immediately declares an attack (the Battle Step and Damage Step for both attacks occur simultaneously). This card must be in face-up Attack Position to activate and resolve this effect.

Number 10: Terra Storm (credit to Superjad)  
Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack while in face-up Defence Position. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. During your next Battle Phase after this effect was used, this card can attack your opponent directly, and if that effect was used more than once since your last Battle Phase, this card's maximum number of attacks this turn is equal to the number of times that effect was used since your last Battle Phase.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: you can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the ATK of the detached monster in the Graveyard until the End Phase.

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

Overlay Thousand  
Quick-Play Spell Card  
Target 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control; attach all face-up monsters with 1000 or less ATK you control to that target as Overlay Units. That target must have more than 1000 ATK for you to activate and resolve this effect.

* * *

**Fun Fact #15: As if we needed any more proof that dueling Skyler is lethal...**

**Fun Fact #16: Steel Ogre Grotto #2 is included in Candlelight Golem's effect because its Japanese name is Iron Arm Golem, which includes the katakana for 'Golem'****, thus it is a part of the Golem archetype. Goggle Golem is excluded because its Japanese name is Giant Goggle, so it isn't a Golem monster.**

**Fun Fact #17: The official rulebook's rulings on replays are actually a little misleading. Replays don't actually occur when the _number of monsters_ on your opponent's field changes, but when the _number of available attack targets_ changes. Take Sonicboom Dragon as an example. It can attack directly while you control no monsters (Skyler controlled two other monsters besides Sonicboom Dragon). Matt controlled two monsters, thus two available attack targets. If Skyler had attacked one of the Candlelight Golems, then activated Overlay Thousand in response to his own attack to remove all other monsters from his field, suddenly Sonicboom Dragon's effect would be applied again. Matt has become an available attack target, which means that the number of available attack targets has changed from two to three. Thus, a replay occurs, even though the number of monsters on Matt's field has remained the same. Skyler could choose to continue his attack, change the attack target to Matt or the other Golem, or stop his attack altogether. These rulings get even crazier when you throw stuff like Earthbound Immortals into the mix. /randomness**


	5. Part 1: Ch 5

**Skyler LP:** 2550

**Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 7/ATK 2400/DEF 1700 – 3 OLU**

**Matt LP:** 1000

**Candlelight Golem: Rock-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 900/DEF 1200**

**Candlelight Golem: Rock-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 900/DEF 1200**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Leah LP:** 2750

**Number 10: Terra Storm: Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600 – 1 OLU**

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Ice Fire World [Field Card], 1 set card

_'So this is what Dan went through…?' _Matt mused, still lying on his front, the blades of grass tickling the inside of his nose. There was a dull ringing in his ears that told him he'd just received some potential hearing damage. Somehow, the thought didn't worry him as much as it should. Something was wrong with his head too... even lying down, he felt totally off-balance, as though he might fall off the edge of the world at any moment. And constantly there, overpowering everything else, was a wicked, stabbing pain in the side of his head that felt like someone had rammed an arrow into his right ear. He could actually feel it, throbbing in time with his heartbeat, each thump sending a fresh wave of pain through his skull.

Those were the only thoughts and sensations that mattered to him. Everything else – the duel, his friends' shouts, the chill of the ice, and the sound of that accursed dragon jetting back across the field to its owner – none of it felt quite as important anymore. It was as though he was watching all this happen to someone else, a stranger, who only occasionally invited him down to share in the pain.

That pain. It was unbearable...

And then there was a new sensation. A sort of vibration in the ice beneath his head. Then again. And again. Every percussion seemed to be a little more forceful than the last, and he started to pick out a pattern. It seemed almost rhythmic. Was it footsteps? That would make sense, but whose feet did they belong too. Matt tried to turn his head, and was rewarded with another bolt of pain from his temple all the way down to the base of his neck. He let out a tiny whimper of helplessness. What must he look like right now?

Then rough hands grabbed him, and he felt himself being bundled over, pulled upright and away from the ice. His muscles screamed in protest. And then he was facing upwards, squinting into the harsh sunlight, Leah's face directly above him. She was shouting something to him, but although he still had one working ear, everything she said sounded very distant. He just gazed up at her, his eyes glazed and uncomprehending. Halfway through talking, Leah stopped as she realised that he wasn't taking a word of it in. Slowly, she unclenched her hand from his shoulder...

... and slapped him across the face, hard.

She was very careful to hit him on the undamaged side of his face, where his cheek was clean rather than streaked with rapidly-drying blood. She also chose to use minimal force, as she was afraid that too hard a knock would cause serious damage to his already weakened body.

It still hurt though.

"GYAAH!" Matt cried out, recoiling and clutching his stinging cheek, the rest of his pain momentarily forgotten. "Jeez... what the hell was that for?!"

"For goodness sake, pull yourself together!" Leah snapped at him. "This is no time to let pain get the best of you. You're fighting Skyler! Showing weakness won't get you any mercy, it'll get you killed. And by the way, unless you want to make me really cross, you'd better stop thinking of this as you versus Skyler, because I'm here too! I'm your ally! You're not just fighting by yourself anymore – you're fighting as part of a team, for the team. Besides, Dan took at least twice the punishment that you did, and he still saw the duel through to the end."

Matt looked away, ashamed. He knew she'd bring that up.

Dan, however, was looking surprised. "Really?" he asked. "I fought _that_ thing before? And survived two attacks from it?" Katie nodded, and a grin spread across Dan's face. "Awesomeness. I was pretty strong, wasn't I?"

"Don't feel too pleased with yourself. Remember, you still lost in the end," James pointed out, once again back in tactful hippo mode. Katie whacked him across the back of the head.

"You girls sure are violent today," Dan observed, and earned a punch on the arm for his trouble.

Meanwhile, Leah had dragged Matt to his feet, where he stood swaying as if on a boat, clinging to her for support. Skyler watched with detached amusement – clearly he couldn't care less if Matt continued dueling or not.

"You ok?" Leah asked, releasing a little more of Matt's weight. She briefly wondered if it had been a good idea to try this approach; Matt was clearly in bad shape. Any doctor in the world would've said that he was in no fit state to even be outside, much less dueling.

After his harsh reprimand, however, Matt clearly thought differently. He allowed his legs to take the rest of his body weight and let go of Leah. His swaying became more pronounced, and the elevation from ground level to standing had made the throbbing in his ear even worse. Still, he raised his duel disk and turned to face Skyler with a grim determination that she rarely saw from him. "I'm fine Leah," he lied hoarsely. "Let's just carry on."

"Agreed," Skyler piped up, startling them both. "You've wasted enough of my time already, little weakling. I place three cards face-down and end my turn." His three set cards appeared.

"My turn... draw..." Matt drew his card, and quickly realised that he needed to be more gentle about doing so if he wanted to remain upright. "I Tribute one of my **Candlelight Golem**s to Tribute Summon **Grappler of Eoseuleum – Rikishi**!" The rocky golem faded from existence to be replaced by a tall warrior in a dull grey armour. It had lines of spikes fitted in rings around its torso, and carried a long, vicious-looking pike. Its helm was an open one, which revealed the scarred, snarling face within.

**Grappler of Eoseuleum – Rikishi: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 0**

"Leah..." he called. The single word hurt his throat, which was raw and painful.

"Hmm?"

"Would you mind sparing your Field Spell?"

She smiled and nodded. "What's mine is yours, Matt. Go for it."

He thanked her, then resumed his move. "I activate the effect of **Hunter of Eoseuleum – Kariudo** in my hand." He flipped the card around so Skyler could see it. "With this, by sending any face-up Spell Card my opponent controls to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it from my hand." He pointed across at Leah. "Since you set this up as a Battle Royal duel, she's also considered my opponent, which means I can use her cards for this effect. In this case, I'm using her Field Spell, Ice Fire World!"

"'She' has a name, you know," Leah said indignantly, removing the card from her Field Card Zone. Around them, the ice began to melt. The crevice closed up, the mountains in the distance evaporated into clouds of steam, and before they knew it, the three duelists were standing back in the brightly lit field. The Ice Fire World Field Spell had single-handedly been responsible for no less than four Xyz Summons. And now, even during its destruction, it was still being used to fuel one last Summon.

"Come forth, **Hunter of Eoseuleum – Kariudo**!" Matt declared. A black-armoured warrior with a huge battle-axe appeared. It had streaks of white running down its arms and legs, and the Eoseuleum's crest – an orange streak in the shape of a candle's flame – was printed onto both sides of the axe.

**Hunter of Eoseuleum – Kariudo: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 1000/DEF 1000**

"Level six Hunter and Grappler, Overlay!" Both monsters morphed into purple amorphous masses of light, then shot upwards, abandoning their original shape. To everyone's surprise, it wasn't a black galaxy-shaped portal that appeared beneath them, but a red spiral one. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" One after the other, the Material Monsters sailed down into the portal, which erupted with light and noise. "Appear, Gauntlet Shooter!" From out of the shimmering residue, a mechanical red warrior with bulky iron fists appeared, orbited by two orange Overlay Units.

Gauntlet Launcher: Warrior-Type/Xyz/EARTH/Rank 6/ATK 2400/DEF 2800 – 2 OLU

Wasting no time, Matt ploughed straight into his next move. "I activate Gauntlet Launcher's effect! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can target and destroy any monster my opponent controls!" One of the orange orbs broke orbit and was absorbed into the warrior's visor with a flash.

Gauntlet Launcher: 2 → 1 OLU

"I target **Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon**!" Matt looked on with pre-emptive satisfaction as Gauntlet Launcher began to charge one of its rocket-powered fists. _'Revenge is sweet,' _he thought to himself.

But Skyler was having none of it. "I activate the Trap Card, Xyz Coat!" One of his set cards activated. "This card prevents a target Xyz Monster from being destroyed during this turn, either by battle or card effects." Sure enough, Gauntlet Launcher's rocket fist smashed into the dragon and exploded violently, but the dragon itself survived, safe behind a veil of shimmering red light.

Matt gritted his teeth. It seemed that revenge would have to wait. "Fine then, I end my turn there."

"My turn then, I draw!" Leah glanced briefly at her hand, but didn't try to play any of her cards. "Straight into battle!" she declared. "Passion Aurora, attack Sonicboom Dragon!" Once again, the synthetic angel thrust its palm forward, and began to draw in waves of electric-green energy.

"Foolish girl! I activate **Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon**'s effect!" Skyler responded. "When an opponent's monster declares an attack, I can detach one of its Overlay Units to force Sonicboom Dragon to declare an attack of its own!" Quick as a flash, the dragon snatched one of its Overlay Units out of the air and pressed down on it with its jaws. The glowing green orb burst into particles of light, which were absorbed into the dragon's wings.

**Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon: 3 **→** 2 OLU**

"Gotcha!" Leah shouted. "I activate the Counter Trap, Overlay Banish!" Her sole set card activated. "When a player activates an effect that requires detaching an Overlay Unit from something as a cost, this card negates that effect!" The Trap Card let of an unearthly glow, and Sonicboom Dragon shrank back from it, afraid and confused.

Skyler seemed irritated by the failure of his attack, but if he had anything to say about it, he decided to wait until after the battle. Instead, he responded with yet another effect. "In chain, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Overlay Flash!" His second face-down card flipped up. "With this, by detaching an Overlay Unit from one of my Xyz Monsters, I can cancel the effects of a monster you control for as long as it remains on the field." Yet another green sphere flew out of its orbit around the Number, and was absorbed into the Spell Card.

**Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

"I choose **Number 17: Passion Aurora**," Skyler declared. "So its effects will be negated for as long as it remains in play."

He got no further. At that moment, Passion Aurora fired a bright green beam of pure energy, which smote Skyler's dragon in the chest. The dragon recoiled and thrashed about trying to escape, but still didn't let out a sound - not a howl, not a whimper, nothing. Then, the Number exploded violently, and Skyler covered his face from the resulting explosion. Oddly, the destruction of his Number once again caused him no direct pain.

**Skyler LP:** 2550 → 2450

"Terra Storm, direct attack!" The cyclonic Number eagerly surged forwards and fell upon the enemy hunter. Skyler had already seen this creature go after one of his Numbers, and hadn't been too impressed by the display. But now, from his position in the eye of the storm, he felt inclined to revise his opinion. He covered his head with his arms, protecting himself as best he could against the stones that pelted him, the sand that was whipped up into his face, and the howling wind tugging viciously at his body. Finally, the Number pulled back, a look of deep satisfaction in its dull grey eyes.

**Skyler LP:** 2450 → 950

"Yes!" Leah grinned triumphantly. "How do you like that? Not so nice being on the receiving end of the pain for once, is it?"

Skyler didn't say a word. His glare did all the talking for him.

Leah shrugged. "Well, anytime you feel like putting up a bit of a fight, go ahead," she taunted. "I Set one monster in Defence Position and end my turn." Her hidden monster appeared alongside her two Numbers.

Matt was more worried. Skyler had no cards in his hand, no monsters on his field, and only a single card left in his Spell & Trap Card Zone. Logic would dictate that he didn't have the resources to Xyz Summon anything at all, let alone one of his so-called strong Numbers (unless he was running Tour Guide or Rescue Rabbit, which Matt doubted somehow). Plus, Matt still had Gauntlet Launcher with one Overlay Unit, so if Skyler chose to play defensive – which seemed like his only option at this point – Matt could rip his defences to shreds and either finish the job himself, or leave Leah to deal the final blow. One way or another, they had this in the bag. Skyler couldn't recover from this. Surely he couldn't...

"My turn, draw." Skyler began his turn. "I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Treasure, which lets me draw three cards since you control three Xyz Monsters between you." He drew his cards, and Matt began to get nervous – with a full hand, Skyler had a great many more options open to him. "You've really done it now, foolish Deltas. You've used up what little remains of my patience. I'm going to enjoy inflicting the same fate on you as I did to your friend. I Summon Planet Pathfinder!" A moon buggy-esque thing zoomed onto the field, coming to a screeching halt just in front of Skyler.

Planet Pathfinder: Machine-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1000

"Then I'll banish it to Special Summon this from my hand. Appear, **Cosmic Corruptor LV3**." The lunar vehicle dissipated, only to reform again a few seconds later. No... it wasn't quite the same. Its original white and green colour was now tinted a dark purple, and tint bolts of black lightning now arced across the surface of the machine.

**Cosmic Corruptor LV3: Machine-Type/DARK/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 0**

"As you well know," Skyler was saying. "**Cosmic Corruptor LV3** can be Special Summoned from my hand by banishing a Machine from my field, and when I do, this card's Level becomes equal to the original Level of that monster plus its own Level."

**Cosmic Corruptor LV3: Level 3 **→** 7**

"Then I activate the Trap Card, **Cosmic Overdrive Virus**." His last remaining face-down card activated, and he glared at the Deltas contemptuously. "Now pay attention, because this will get tricky. First, I pay half my Life Points..."

**Skyler LP:** 950 → 475

"...then I target one Cosmic Corruptor monster I control - in this case, **Cosmic Corruptor LV3**. Next, I reveal cards from the top of my Deck equal to that target's current Level, and Special Summon as many Level four or lower Machine-Type monsters among them as I can, and shuffle the rest back in. After that, the targeted monster is sent to the Graveyard." True to his word, he picked up seven cards from the top of his Deck and examined them. A savage grin spread across his face.

The cards were Monster Reborn, Satellite Base, Limiter Removal, **Cosmic Corruptor LV4**, Sonic Jammer, **Satellite Geosynchron**, and Solar Wind Jammer.

"Perfect," he said. "With the effect of my Trap Card, I Special Summon Satellite Base, **Cosmic Corruptor LV4**, Sonic Jammer, and **Satellite Geosynchron**!" Four of the seven cards Skyler had picked up appeared on his field, creating a daunting armada.

Satellite Base: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 0

**Cosmic Corruptor LV4: Machine-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 0**

Sonic Jammer: Machine-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK 350/DEF 650

**Satellite Geosynchron: Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 0**

As the four new monsters appeared, the original one – **Cosmic Corruptor LV3** – faded into oblivion as the Trap Card destroyed it. Ignoring its disappearance, Skyler played the last card in his hand. "I activate the Spell Card, Southern Cross! With this, a monster of my choice has its Level changed to ten. I target Satellite Base."

Satellite Base: Level 4 → 10

Matt sucked air through gritted teeth. _'Four monsters… and he's slowly changing all their Levels to ten…' _he thought. _'This is going to end really badly.'_

"Now I activate **Satellite Geosynchron**'s effect!" Skyler declared. "Once per turn, I can target any Satellite monster I control, then change the Levels of all Machine-Type monsters I control to become the same as that target. I target the Level ten Satellite Base."

**Cosmic Corruptor LV4: Level 4 **→ **10**

Sonic Jammer: Level 2 → 10

**Satellite Geosynchron: Level 3 **→ **10**

Katie gasped in horror. "Four Level ten monsters!"

"Huh?" James said, looking at her in confusion. "What is it? What's wr-" As he examined Skyler's field more closely, the realisation hit him like a freight train. "Oh..."

"Level ten Satellite Base, **Cosmic Corruptor LV4**, Sonic Jammer, and **Satellite Geosynchron**, Overlay!" As one, his four monsters turned fully yellow, purple, green, and yellow respectively, then shot up into the air. In the sky above them, beyond the cloud level, a massive galaxy-shaped portal opened. It was so huge that it blotted out most of the sky. "I use these four monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The four energy-signatures representing the Material Monsters chased each other down into the portal. Then, the portal exploded with light... so much light that no-one could look at it directly. It was like staring into the heart of the sun itself – the kids could actually feel the skin on their arms burning as the light blazed even brighter. Matt dropped down onto one knee, not wanting to lose his balance again. Leah cried out and shielded her eyes.

And through all the commotion, Skyler's voice still echoed in their ears. "Appear before us, **Number 53: Alpha Centauri**!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Gappler of Eoseuleum - Rikishi  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 2600/DEF 0  
_A savage warrior that delights in tormenting its enemies. When his temper gets the better of him, even the high-ranking officials of the Eoseuleum faction choose to keep their distance._

Candlelight Golem  
Rock-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 900/DEF 1200  
FLIP: Special Summon 1 "Steel Ogre Grotto #2" or 1 "Golem" monster (except "Goggle Golem") from your Deck in face-up Defence Position.

Hunter of Eoseuleum - Kariudo  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 6/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
You can target 1 face-up Spell Card your opponent controls; destroy that target, then Special Summon this card from your hand. This card is unaffected by Spell effects.

Cosmic Corruptor LV3  
Machine-Type/DARK/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 0  
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by banishing 1 face-up Machine-Type monster you control. When you do: Increase this card's Level by the original Level of the banished monster.

Cosmic Corruptor LV4  
Machine-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 0  
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by banishing 1 face-up Machine-Type monster you control. When you do: Increase this card's Level by the original Level of the banished monster.

Satellite Geosynchron  
Machine-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 0  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle with a Level 4 or lower monster. During each of your End Phases: Increase this card's Level by 1. If this card battles, its Level is returned to 3, after damage calculation. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up "Satellite" monster you control; the Levels of all face-up Machine-Type monsters you currently control become equal to that target's Level, until the End Phase.

Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 7/ATK 2400/DEF 1700  
2 Level 7 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. While you control no other monsters, this card can attack your opponent directly. Once per turn, when an opponent's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card immediately declares an attack (the Battle Step and Damage Step for both attacks occur simultaneously). This card must be in face-up Attack Position to activate and resolve this effect.

Number 10: Terra Storm (credit to Superjad)  
Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack while in face-up Defence Position. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. During your next Battle Phase after this effect was used, this card can attack your opponent directly, and if that effect was used more than once since your last Battle Phase, this card's maximum number of attacks this turn is equal to the number of times that effect was used since your last Battle Phase.

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

Cosmic Overdrive Virus  
Trap Card  
Pay half your Life Points, then target 1 face-up "Cosmic Corruptor" monster you control; reveal cards from the top of your Deck equal to that target's Level, then Special Summon as many Level 4 or lower Machine-Type monsters as possible among the revealed cards and shuffle the rest back into your Deck, then send that target to the Graveyard. You can only activate 1 "Cosmic Overdrive Virus" per turn.

* * *

**Fun Fact #18: Yes, we will finally be revealing Alpha Centauri in the next Chapter.  
**

**Fun Fact #19: The name Satellite Geosynchron is derived from the word 'geosynchronous', which is used to describe the movement of objects (usually satellites) orbiting the Earth. It basically means that, if you mark the point on the planet directly under the satellite, in precisely one day the satellite will be directly over that mark again.**

**Fun Fact #20: Due to the wording of Cosmic Overdrive Virus, you can't use it to abuse the effects of the Gadget monsters. Sorry, but any such monster Summoned by this card will miss the timing, so no shenanigans there unfortunately.**

**Fun Fact #21: Due to the release of the new Dark Zexal Weapon monster, Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray V is now tied with Chaos Number 107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon for belonging to the most archetypes in the game - they both belong to six different archetypes! **

**Fun Fact #22: So let's talk about archetypes for a moment. Currently, there are two archetypes in the game that are simply called "V". There's the "V" archetype (pronounced '_bi_') which includes V-Tiger Jet, VW-Tiger Catapult, & VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon, and is supported by Hyper Coat. Then there's the "V" archetype (pronounced '_bui_') which includes V Salamander, V Sylph, Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray V, etc, and is supported by the anime effect of V Salamander, V Call, etc. Even though their names are almost identical, that slight deviation in their pronunciations (as dictated by their furigana) means that these two archetypes are completely unrelated. How very convoluted of you, Konami.**


	6. Part 1: Ch 6

**Skyler LP:** 475

**Matt LP:** 1000

**Candlelight Golem: Rock-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 900/DEF 1200**

Gauntlet Launcher: Warrior-Type/Xyz/EARTH/Rank 6/ATK 2400/DEF 2800 – 1 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Leah LP:** 2750

**Number 10: Terra Storm: Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600 – 1 OLU**

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

"Appear before us, **Number 53: Alpha Centauri**!"

The intense light briefly dimmed down as a crimson number fifty-three flared into being on Skyler's human hand. Above them, the pale blue of the sky was replaced with an intense, radiant gold as light continued to spill out of the portal. A shape began to form within the light – a colossal, yet somehow rather spindly shape. Leah squinted against the harsh light, trying to get a good look at it. But it was useless. There was nothing to look at but the never-ending stream of light. And yet she could still feel it, an enormous presence hovering just above them, blotting out most of the sky and filling it with its own rays.

Without getting so much as a glimpse of the creature, she rounded on Skyler. "Do you have to keep hiding your monster like this? Is it really necessary?"

"Necessary? Certainly not," Skyler replied, a trace of amusement in his voice. Once again, he seemed to be unaffected by the harsh glare above him. "I do it for no other reason than because it pleases me to do so. Watching your enemies cower in fear as they are bombarded from above by an enemy they can't see is quite an enjoyable experience."

"Well stop it," she snapped. "We've already seen that thing once before – we're not intimidated by it, right Matt?"

"Exactly," Matt agreed. "So how about you stop wasting our time, almighty hunter, and actually show us the strength of your Numbers, instead of hiding it up there in the clouds."

Skyler's eyebrows met in a scowl. "Hmph... clueless Deltas," he muttered contemptuously. "You must have absolutely no idea what you're up against, because if you did, you'd be begging for me to keep it hidden-"

"How about we be the judges of that?" Leah interrupted. "We've seen enough already that a little brightness isn't going to scare us away. You're not intimidating anyone with that little light display. Now come on, you coward! Show us your strength!"

That did it.

"Who are you calling a coward, stupid girl?!" Skyler snarled. "How dare you question my bravery! And how dare you question my strength! The things I've seen have hardened me well beyond your level, and with this Number, my strength is limitless! You have no idea how powerful I really am! And you have no idea how impatient you have made me!" He stopped, breathing hard, and made an attempt to regain some composure, although his outrage still echoed in his every word. "Fine then... you want to see what you're up against? Fine. You want to see how small and pathetic you really are? Fine! You want me to show you my power...?" He raised his hand to the sky. "Fine! Then watch carefully... Alpha Centauri, I command you! Reveal yourself!"

At his instruction, the Number eased off on its display of power and allowed its shine to recede. As the light got dimmer and dimmer, the Deltas looked up at the creature, finally able to see it in its entirety.

What they saw made their blood run cold.

The creature suspended in the sky was a massive, skeletal dragonoid, with a thin upper torso tapering into a long and narrow neck. Its solid, armour-like skin was a bright bronze colour, and arranged like the plates in a suit of armour down its body. Its arms were perfectly smooth and shiny, like polished metal, and highly muscular, with a set of four vicious-looking claws on the end of each one. Its head was more like a bird than anything else, with a curved raptorial beak. A bright red gem was set into its chest plate. That gem alone was probably bigger than the park they were standing in.

Below its armoured chest, however, its torso looked very different. It had no hind legs, instead sporting a hefty pelvic structure, from which extended no less than eight tails. These tails were made up entirely of hairs, each one a deep gold colour and possibly several miles long. With a jolt, Leah realised that this was what had hit her the last time this thing was Summoned – one of those tails must have caught a glancing blow on her. The tails drifted around in the breeze, seemingly of their own accord, each one with an almost unearthly sheen to it.

Having decided that it rather enjoyed being both admired and feared, Number 53 flicked its eyelids open and stared down, revealing two wicked red eyes. Then the Number drew in a great breath – causing a blustering gale in the process – and let out a huge, ear-splitting shriek. The Deltas covered their ears in pain. It wasn't nearly as bad as Sonicboom Dragon's attacks, but the cry would still have echoed across most of the city – indeed, the Number itself seemed to covering most of the city with its bulk alone. Four bright yellow Overlay Units orbited the humongous dragon.

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: Dragon-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 10/ATK 5400/DEF 4150 – 4 OLU**

"Satisfied now, Deltas?" Skyler asked, lowering his hand. "This is the monster that destroyed your friend. Are you happy you've been able to see it yourselves?"

It took Leah a few seconds to find her tongue, but when she did, she took great care to sound as defiant as possible. "Big monsters aren't necessarily a big deal," she said.

"They are in this case."

"Since that thing took out Dan, I don't doubt that," she replied. "But now we know what we're up against. And we can fight it, just you wait!"

Skyler sighed and shook his head sadly. "I envy your ability to delude yourself with hope, I really do." He then reached underneath his Number card, picking out a few of the cards beneath it. "I activate Alpha Centauri's effect! By detaching three Overlay Units from it, I can absorb your fields." One after the other, three yellow orbs broke orbit and flew into the gem on the dragon's chest plate.

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: 4 **→** 1 OLU**

"Absorb our fields..." Matt repeated slowly. "Sorry, you're going to have to run that by me again. What do you mean 'absorb'?"

"I mean exactly what I say, Delta," Skyler replied. "Alpha Centauri's effect takes every card away from both of your fields and absorbs them into its own gravitational field, where they become part of its cluster of Overlay Units."

"What?!" Leah said incredulously. "That thing can turn every card we control into an Overlay Unit for itself?"

"Precisely," Skyler nodded, almost sneering at her disbelief.

"No way!" she said. "No way in hell does that thing have an effect that powerful! There has to be a catch! There mus-"

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Dark Wall of Wind!" Both duelists were startled as Matt triggered his face-down card. "Now, for the rest of this turn, I can't be the target of any direct attacks!" With the sound of rushing wind, the Spell Card surrounded Matt with a pitch-black gale, which mussed up his already windswept hair.

"Matt, what're you-"

Matt turned to her. "Leah, prepare yourself!" he warned her. "That thing is about to wipe your entire field clean, so if you have any sort of defensive card, now is your only chance to use it."

"And if you happen to be holding one of your Effect Veilers, that'd be just lovely," Katie added from the sidelines.

Leah shook her head. "No such luck... I can't stop the effect." Still, she could see the logic in what Matt was saying, so even the colossal monster began to shift above them, she was making her move. "In chain to Matt's card, I activate the Trap Card, Half Shield!" Her lone face-down card activated. "With this, any damage taken by any player this turn is cut in half."

"If you're quite finished embarrassing yourselves with those desperate plays," Skyler cut in, "then the time has come for me to resolve my effect! Alpha Centauri, drain their fields dry!"

With a whooshing sound, the dragon's huge tails shot down to the ground and wrapped themselves around each of the cards on the field. Leah's two Numbers, Matt's two monsters, the cards they had just activated, even the Overlay Units orbiting their Xyz Monsters... all of them were ensnared by the giant golden hairs, which clung to them like an octopus' tentacles. Number 53 tightened its grip, squeezing its victims harder and harder with a smug look in its eyes. With one final crushing squeeze, every single thing ensnared by the hairs burst into particles of light and streamed up towards the radiant dragon, using its tails like conductors. The light-dust reformed itself into nine separate orbs of bright yellow light, which settled into orbit around the colossal creature. Leah watched in dismay as the glowing symbols seventeen and ten vanished from the backs of her hands.

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: 1 **→** 10 OLU**

"Now then, onto battle." Skyler eyed Matt through the wall of black wind, a look of vague disappointment in his eyes. "Now obviously I can't attack you because of that Dark Wall of Wind card. Very clever of you, using that card to block potential direct attacks. But you left a gaping hole in your defences, I'm afraid."

"Oh really?" Matt replied suspiciously. "And what would that be?"

"Her!" Skyler exclaimed, before turning his gaze on Leah. "**Number 53: Alpha Centauri**, attack the girl directly!" The dragon immediately opened its beak wide and began to draw in light energy – not that there was a shortage in that regard – and condensing it into a pure white sphere.

"Due to the effect of Half Shield," Leah said shakily, "Battle Damage that I take this turn is halved-"

Then the dragon fired. A ball of pure light energy shot down to earth, leaving a glowing white contrail like a miniature comet. As it approached, growing larger and brighter with every passing second, a heart-shaped shield appeared out of thin air in front of Leah. Finally, at the point where the attack was so bright that they couldn't even look at it, it smashed into the shield and dissipated instantly, sending out a huge white shockwave, a pulse of pure energy that shattered the glass portion of the shield and knocked Leah off her feet. She landed heavily and felt the air rush out of her lungs. And there she laid, helpless, blind, and gasping for air.

**Leah LP:** 2750 → 50

Skyler snorted derisively. "Is that really what you – the Professor's almighty hunters – have resorted to?" he asked. "Cheap tricks and desperate gambits to keep yourself alive? Not so much dueling as struggling to stay alive?" He turned to Matt. "You see boy? This is the fully extent of the power of weaklings. You're pitiful, every last one of you."

Matt wasn't listening. He was staggering, half blind, over to where Leah was lying. The grass around her had been flattened by the attack's shockwave, but she'd certainly escaped the worst of it – when Dan had taken a full-powered attack, he'd been left lying in a crater.

Skyler shook his head at the sorry display. "I activate Alpha Centauri's effect. Once per turn, during either player's turn, I can target one Xyz Monster on the field and detach one Overlay Unit from it. I choose itself." One of the glowing orbs surrounding the Number burst into particles of light.

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: 10 **→** 9 OLU**

Matt needn't have been so concerned. As he approached, Leah pushed herself into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes and trying to stabilise her breathing.

"Are you ok?" Matt called, stopping where he stood. "Can you stand?"

She nodded. Without really meaning too she found herself looking up at the shining dragon still blotting out the sky above her. For some reason, the sight of it made her sad more than anything else. Its mere presence here meant that Skyler had ripped it from the soul of an innocent person at some point, which meant yet another victim to add to the list.

"I end my turn there," Skyler said.

"Then it's my turn," Matt replied, shuffling back over to his original position. "I draw-"

Then she thought about all the other Numbers that Skyler had collected – twenty, three, forty-five, nineteen, fifty-four, four, eighty-six, twenty-five... sixty-eight... they had just viewed them as Numbers, mere cards for them to collect. But now she realised that they represented more than that. Each and every one represented a life that had been torn apart.

"During your Draw Phase, I activate Alpha Centauri's effect! Once per turn, I can detach an Overlay Unit from any Xyz Monster on the field. I'll have it target itself once again."

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: 9 **→** 8 OLU**

Then she thought about her friend, possibly the most recent victim of this cruel hunter, and she surreptitiously glanced over her shoulder at him. Dan was watching her with a concerned look on his face, but not the sort of concern she would have expected. It was more of a detached, abject concern, like when you read about someone in the newspaper who was hospitalised – you feel bad for them, but at the end of the day they're a stranger to you. You don't immediately jump off your chair and run to the hospital to see them.

"What're you playing at, Skyler?" Matt muttered. "Why do you keep detaching your own monster's Overlay Units?"

Skyler's eyes remained cold and hard. "Stay alive long enough and you might find out, foolish Delta."

Matt glowered at him. "I Set one monster in Defence Position, then place one other card face-down. Turn end."

There was a time when Dan would've done exactly the same thing she'd done for him. When he had been attacked, she had disregarded the danger and ran to his aid, getting herself knocked out in the process. And the Dan she knew would've done exactly the same thing. But Skyler had destroyed that person, and replaced it with some guy to whom everyone was a stranger.

That's why he wasn't more concerned. Because that's all she was to him.

A stranger.

* * *

Author-made cards:

Candlelight Golem  
Rock-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 900/DEF 1200  
FLIP: Special Summon 1 "Steel Ogre Grotto #2" or 1 "Golem" monster (except "Goggle Golem") from your Deck in face-up Defence Position.

Number 10: Terra Storm (credit to Superjad)  
Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack while in face-up Defence Position. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. During your next Battle Phase after this effect was used, this card can attack your opponent directly, and if that effect was used more than once since your last Battle Phase, this card's maximum number of attacks this turn is equal to the number of times that effect was used since your last Battle Phase.

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

Number 53: Alpha Centauri  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 10/ATK 5400/DEF 4150  
4 Level 10 monsters  
Must be Xyz Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. When this card is Xyz Summoned: Destroy all other cards you control. You can detach 3 Overlay Units from this card; attach all other cards on the field (min. 1) to this card as Overlay Units. Each player can only use this effect of "Number 53: Alpha Centauri" once per Duel. While this card has no Overlay Units attached to it, this card is unaffected by Spell/Trap effects. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 face-up Xyz Monster; detach 1 Overlay Unit from that target.

* * *

**Fun Fact #23: I'm genuinely surprised at how many people managed to correctly guess Alpha Centauri's effect from its previous appearance. Well done you people.**

**Fun Fact #24: The YCM Wiki doesn't allow cards to be uploaded with over 5000 ATK, so when we upload Alpha Centauri there, you'll notice a slight change in its effect to compensate. For the sake of our stories, however, the ATK and effect listed above will be used, not the altered YCM Wiki ones.**

**Fun Fact #25: Compared to Alit, Gilag, Misael, and even Vector, Durbe is a pretty disappointing villian. Durbe is supposed to be the Barian's leader, the strongest, the most threatening, etc. Yet he doesn't really have a unique personality like the others, and while dueling alongside Misael (who still has the enigmatic and supremely powerful Chaos Number 107) and Vector (who is chuckley, insane, and Rei) he is completely overshadowed. Plus, since Misael has a reason to duel Kaito, and Vector has a reason to duel Yuma, Durbe's duel with Shark seems more a case of the writers saying "let's just give him whoever's left over". Oh, and Durbe's Holy Lightning cards have the potential to be so threatening and awe-inspiring, yet they literally received less than two minutes of screentime total.**

**Fun Fact #26: In terms of evil laughs, Vector's is very good, but we would only rank it as second best. ****Yeager**'s still beats it by a mile (at least, it does in the Japanese version).


	7. Part 1: Ch 7

**Skyler LP:** 475

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: Dragon-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 10/ATK 5400/DEF 4150 – 8 OLU**

**Matt LP:** 1000

1 set monster

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Leah LP:** 50

"My turn, draw..." Leah said, her voice deceptively calm.

"During your Draw Phase," Skyler cut in, "I activate Alpha Centauri's effect. Once per turn, I can drop one of its Overlay Units." Yet another yellow orb of light burst into pixels.

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: 8 **→** 7 OLU**

She ignored the interruption and continued her move. "I activate the Spell Card, Aurora Draw. Since I have no cards in my hand besides this one, I can use it to draw two cards." She drew her cards and glanced at them. And all of a sudden, an idea began to form in her head. She ran her finger over the metal band on her wrist, then reached up to her D-Gazer and cycled through the options to check her Graveyard.

"Ok, what're you doing now?" Skyler asked impatiently. "I don't have all day."

Leah let her hand fall, visibly disappointed. She hadn't found what she wanted. She might've drawn the perfect card to make a comeback, but without the correct card in her Graveyard, she couldn't do a thing about it.

But maybe...

"Matt!" she called out to her partner.

"Hmm?"

"What's your face-down card?"

Matt's eyes widened in shock. "Excuse me?"

"Your face-down card," she repeated. "The card you just Set. What is it?"

On the sidelines, Katie was just staring incredulously. "What the hell is she thinking?" she said. "Did Skyler knock the common sense out of her with that last attack?"

"What do you mean?" Dan asked. "She's just asking him what his face-down is."

Katie shook her head. "No Dan, it's not as simple as that," she said. "This is a Battle Royal duel, where you have two opponents, not one ally and one opponent. You can use your cards to support other players, that's fine, but you can't directly conspire with another player. Everyone's an opponent. You get my meaning?"

Dan nodded, now looking worried. James, however, was still as nonplussed as before. "Nope, sorry, still not getting it," he said.

With a sigh, Katie explained. "If you reveal a card to another player, then that card becomes public knowledge. You can't just reveal it to one player; you have to reveal it to them all."

"Which means," Dan continued, "that if Matt tells Leah what his face-down card is-"

"-then he also has to tell Skyler!" James gasped.

"Exactly," Katie said. "And Leah knows that. So the question is..." she turned back to the duel, "...what exactly is she thinking?"

Right now, Matt was having the same conundrum. "Leah, I really think you should think about this for a minute..."

"I have thought about it," she replied. "It's all a part of my plan-"

"And what a well-thought out plan it is," Skyler said sarcastically.

She ignored him. "Matt, when Skyler's next turn comes around, one of us is going to lose. I don't know about you, but I don't have the cards to stop another attack, and I don't have the Life Points to endure it. The only way to survive is to destroy that dragon and win, right now, on this turn! And if I'm right about that face-down of yours, then I can do it."

"But..." Matt struggled to find the words. "But if I tell you, then Skyler-"

"Yes, yes, Skyler will know too," she interrupted. "But what else is there? What other choice do we have?"

A long pause followed as Matt struggled inwardly with himself. The only sound was the gentle swishing of Alpha Centauri's many tails, and the occasional impatient snap of its beak, as it waited to be allowed to attack again. Even the spectators had fallen silent.

Ten seconds passed.

Then twenty.

And finally, just as Leah was about to ask again, Matt spoke. "Alright. My face-down card is Space Cyclone."

Skyler burst out laughing.

"Good," Leah said. It was exactly what she'd hoped for. "Now, I want you to-"

"That's it?" Skyler said, still chuckling away. "That's it?! That's your special mystery card? Hahaha... that must be just about the least threatening face-down card I've ever come across!"

"Shut it you!" Leah snapped. "Ok, Matt, I want you to use that card to detach my Passion Aurora card from Alpha Centauri."

Once again, Matt was left in a state of total bewilderment. "Why?" he asked. "Ever since Skyler Summoned that monster, he's been detaching its Overlay Units like crazy. He's clearly trying to get rid of them all, and you want to help him along?"

"Matt, please..." she begged. "I need you to trust me. Without Number 17, I can't do a thing. If I can get it back, then it's still a longshot, but we might just get through this. So please... I don't want to give anything more of my plan away, so just this once... trust me."

Matt sighed and shook his head. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, because none of us do... I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Space Cyclone!" His face-down card activated. "Using it, I'll detach the Passion Aurora Overlay Unit from Alpha Centauri." A tornado of wind shot from the Spell Card and up into the air, sweeping one of Alpha Centauri's Overlay Units out of orbit, where it dissipated harmlessly.

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: 7 **→** 6 OLU**

By now, Skyler had stopped laughing, and was regarding Leah with an attentiveness that betrayed his uncertainty. This girl wasn't insane; she was planning something...

"Now then," Leah continued. "I activate the Spell Card, Xyz Revenge!" Her Spell appeared. "With this, if my opponent controls an Xyz Monster with at least one Overlay Unit attached to it, I can revive any Xyz Monster from my own Graveyard. Be revived, **Number 17: Passion Aurora**!" With a flash of light, the synthetic angel in golden armour – Leah's original Number – reappeared on her field, now devoid of Overlay Units. At the same moment, a green number seventeen etched itself onto the back of her left hand.

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 0 OLU**

"But that's not all," she went on. "After it Summons the monster, Xyz Revenge also takes an Overlay Unit from a monster you control, and attaches it to the Summoned monster. So I'll be taking back Terra Storm as well!" Another one of Alpha Centauri's Overlay Units broke orbit and sailed down to earth, where it settled into a slower orbit around Number 17.

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: 6 **→** 5 OLU**

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: 0 **→** 1 OLU**

"Alright," she muttered. "Everything's set up. Now let's see if you were lying, Doctor Lithon." She thought back to what the insane Doctor had said, the time before the last time they'd met. Back when Lithon had been dueling Skyler.

_"Such creatures are created when a Number holder experiences a certain emotion so strongly and deeply, that it sweeps aside all doubts and confusion and carves a path into the light…"_

She gazed at the glowing number seventeen on the back of her hand, her mind racing, her heart pounding.

_"I've done a great deal of research, and from what I've seen, it seems that for a human to experience such an emotional surge is physically impossible…"_

Slowly, deliberately, her fingers curled around the metal band on her wrist...

_"It cannot be done. No human being can physically experience such emotion required to evolve their Number…"_

She tightened her grip, the brittle metal staying rigid beneath her fingers...

_"It cannot be done…"_

Those words seemed to echo in her head longer than the others. She gripped harder, trying to blot out the thoughts of what she was about to do. Her hands began to shake.

_"It cannot be done…"_

"Yeah... well..." she muttered to herself. "What the hell do you know about emotions...?"

The sound of metal snapping echoed across the park.

Matt cried out in anguish as the two pieces of the shattered band fell to the ground. He saw her arms fall to her side, limp, and watched as a series of colourful symbols all flared into being up her arm. Fifty-two, ten, nine, ninety-three – four separate symbols, each one glowing a different colour, and all running the entire length of her right arm in a perfectly straight line.

He tried to calm himself as she closed her eyes. He told himself that she, of all people, could handle this. Her band had been broken once before, and in that time she had managed to develop her immunity to the Numbers influence, to the point where she didn't even need the band. She had told them she only wore it nowadays to capture Numbers. He had nothing to worry about. She would be fine.

And yet...

On Leah's field, Passion Aurora turned to look at its controller, feeling concerned. Leah had managed to repel it the last time they had spoken – indeed, she'd managed to repel every single one of her Numbers – but this time was different. It took the benign Number a few seconds to work it out.

Leah wasn't trying to resist.

Or at least, that was mostly true. As her Numbers viciously assailed her mind, Leah made no attempt to fight them off, but instead allowed them access to all the anger and sadness that had built up inside her over the past few weeks. They fell on it like hungry animals, devouring it, subjugating it, expanding it, doing exactly what Numbers are born to do. Leah could actually feel her anger – her own anger – reaching a fever pitch. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

She didn't allow the Numbers to completely overrun her conscience. Instead, she allowed herself to ride the waves of hatred and despair, like a shipwrecked man in the grip of a storm, doing her best to keep her head above water. As her hatred for Skyler, and sadness for the loss of so many innocent people, grew greater and more pronounced, Passion Aurora clutched at its chest in agony, as the intense fury began to affect it too. It collapsed to one knee, its lone Overlay Unit shuddering in its orbit, influenced by the massive surge of power and emotion. Matt, Katie, James and Dan were all crying out Leah's name over and over, trying to make her hear them, but not daring to move any closer in case Alpha Centauri – or even Passion Aurora itself – attacked them.

Skyler looked on, transfixed and apprehensive. "What's happening?" he demanded "What's happening to her?"

That was the final trigger. At the sound of his voice, Leah's eyes snapped open and she lifted her head to glare at him. His face filled her vision, and her outrage finally peaked, which, in fact, was what she was hoping would happen all along. A deep crimson and purple aura, visible to everyone watching, enveloped her.

"Skyler..." she growled in an undertone. "I'm going to rip you limb from limb..."

The hunter's eyes grew wide, fearful.

"I... I activate Number 17's effect," she said slowly. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units, Special Summons will be allowed for this turn only." The single yellow orb of light broke orbit and flew into its helmet with a flash of light. A few feathers detached themselves from 17's wings and began to float in small circles around it. The Number barely noticed its own effect being forcibly activated – it was still in so much pain.

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

As one, the numbers on her right arm blinked out of existence, as though anticipating what was about to happen.

Passion Aurora, still curled over in pain, began to change, seemingly of its own accord. Its armour extended, growing back over the black material that covered its skin. The wings on its back retracted slightly, and split into three groups of two as the synthetic angel changed shape. Finally, the transformation completed itself, and the Number was once again left encapsulated within its sealed form – a golden, crest-like, oval structure lying on its side, sporting three sharp protrusions around the outside, each with two downy wings attached to them. Beneath the now-sealed Number, a large, galaxy-shaped portal opened up, just like the one used in the Xyz Summons of Numbers.

"I use **Number 17: Passion Aurora** to reconstruct the Overlay Network!" Leah declared, a slight tint of red in her eyes. Slowly, silently, the sealed form of her Number descended into the portal, which erupted like a volcano of pure light.

"Chaos Xyz Change!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Number 53: Alpha Centauri  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 10/ATK 5400/DEF 4150  
4 Level 10 monsters  
Must be Xyz Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. When this card is Xyz Summoned: Destroy all other cards you control. You can detach 3 Overlay Units from this card; attach all other cards on the field (min. 1) to this card as Overlay Units. Each player can only use this effect of "Number 53: Alpha Centauri" once per Duel. While this card has no Overlay Units attached to it, this card is unaffected by Spell/Trap effects. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 face-up Xyz Monster; detach 1 Overlay Unit from that target.

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #27: "In this story, chaos ensues."**

**Fun Fact #28: Something we forgot to mention last time - Skyler broke his own record for the most number of Overlay Units attached to a single monster. It was previously with Number 4: Tesseract Dragon, which had nine. But with Alpha Centauri's ten, Skyler's record just got a little harder to beat.**

**Fun Fact #29: A portion (about two lines) of Leah's descent into chaos was inspired by a book called The Circle of Stone, the third book in a trilogy by the brilliant author Linda Carey, also known by her pen name A.J. Lake (don't sue us, etc). The bit we're referring to is in the final showdown where Elspeth and ****Edmund** are fighting Loki. I don't want to say too much because of spoilers, but suffice it to say it's a great series. It's also very underrated, so here's a bit of free advertising. You should all read it - it's good I tell you.  



	8. Part 1: Ch 8

**Skyler LP:** 475

**Number 53: Alpha Centauri: Dragon-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 10/ATK 5400/DEF 4150 – 5 OLU**

**Matt LP:** 1000

1 set monster

**Leah LP:** 50

"Chaos Xyz Change!"

A maelstrom of light particles spilled out of the portal. It wasn't as harsh as the light from Alpha Centauri, but it was still more than enough to temporarily blind both of the other duelists. With the echoing sound of glass shattering, the green number seventeen on Leah's left hand dissipated, only to be replaced by a much darker copy, which pulsated and glowed rhythmically in time with her own heartbeat.

"Appear, **Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol**!"

Slowly and deceptively serenely, a solid golden sphere rose up out of the portal, topped with a halo of thick, pure white feathers. Bright yellow lines traced across the surface of the sphere, which began to open out, revealing a humanoid yet angelic figure curled up inside. This creature was also dressed in what seemed to be black latex, but far less of it was visible, as adorned as it was with the deep-gold plates that had once been its sealed form, but which it now wore as armour. As the monster stood upright, the downy halo slipped down behind it, and affixed itself to the monster's back, where it immediately spread out and formed fix beautiful white wings, three on each side. Then the angel opened its eyes – no more than two glowing yellow dots – and all at once the wings flared with light. But not just white light; it was red, green, pink, violet... every single colour imaginable. It was as though the northern lights themselves were draped over its wings like curtains. A single yellow Overlay Unit traced circles around the majestic monster.

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU**

Skyler took a step back, fear and bitterness etched onto his face. "The Chaos Numbers... no... not again..."

Matt stared at Leah in awe. He could see the intense fury on her face, and he knew that that must've caused the Chaos Number to appear, but Leah didn't seem to have lost her temper the way she normally did. Usually she would be shouting and spitting and maiming and all sorts of things. But not this time. This Leah was perfectly composed, perfectly in control.

"Skyler," she said, and there was almost an inhuman note in her voice, as though her Numbers were using her to speak. "If you take just one thing to the grave with you, then let that be what I'm about to tell you." She indicated herself and her new monster. "You created this."

"I- what?" Skyler looked confused. "I did nothing of the sort!"

"Yes you did," she replied. "You manufactured your own destruction. As long as you continued to go around hurting people and indiscriminately tearing their lives apart, someone like me was always going to be coming for you. The more people you hurt, the more people you created who would want revenge on you. And eventually, you ended up making someone so angry, and hurt them and their friends so badly, that revenge was all they could think about. The result..." She spread her arms, "...is standing in front of you."

"Leah..." Matt muttered.

"This is your legacy, Skyler," she went on. "You keep saying you want to save the world, yet with every move you made you destroyed a little bit more of it. I don't care how evil Professor Usur is. I don't care how badly he's hurt you, or how many people he's taken from you. Nothing – and I mean _nothing_ – gives you the right to destroy the lives of innocent people just for revenge."

"Oh, and before you decide to call me a hypocrite for wanting revenge, I should point out that I'm not going to hurt anyone innocent. Only you." She stared at him, waiting for a rebuke. When none came, she went on. "Don't you understand what you're doing, Skyler? You were hurt by the Professor, I get that. But looking what you're doing now – all these people, all your victims, you're inflicting the same fate on them as was inflicted on you. Why can't you understand? Keeping up this cycle won't undo what the Professor did to you. It'll only make things worse and worse. 'You're slowly bringing about the destruction of the world, and you don't even realise it'." she added, echoing his words from earlier in the duel.

Skyler just stood there, speechless, staring at the girl before him, who was still enveloped in that strange dark aura. His fear at the sight of the Chaos Number – and of the girl's own emotional transformation – had broken down some of the barriers he'd placed around his moral centre, and now he was being forced to re-examine his actions in the light of her words. He had to admit, he didn't like what he saw one bit.

Suddenly, memories of his own losses came flooding back to him, as if his own subconscious was trying to reprimand him, to remind him of how important his own mission was. He chastised himself for even considering her words. She was just another obstacle that endangered his mission. He shook his head vigorously. "No!" he shouted. "I won't question my actions because of you! After everything the Professor did to me, I _deserve_ revenge! You hear me?! That man took away the one thing I cared about more than anything in this world! He destroyed my life!"

"And what about your victims?" Leah retorted. "You've told me that the reason you want revenge is because the Professor destroyed your life, but aren't you doing exactly the same thing to your victims? I'd say you've become everything you set out to defeat! You tear apart the lives of innocent people in exactly the same way! You're just creating more of you!"

"I don't care about them!" Skyler roared.

Leah stopped. She stood there, staring at the remorseless man opposite her, who was red in the face and panting, his fear forgotten amidst his outrage. She was more sad than anything else. This had been her best chance to end this peacefully, to make Skyler see the error of his ways, but it was no use. She had tried her best. She had come so very close. She just couldn't quite reach him.

She shook her head sadly. "Then you're beyond help..." she said, a note of finality in her voice. "I activate Chaos Number 17's effect!" she declared. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units and declaring Normal Summons, Flip Summons, or Special Summons, I can destroy all other monsters on the field that were Summoned that way." The single yellow orb of light sailed into the monster's forehead.

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"I choose Special Summons!" she called. "And since Alpha Centauri was Summoned by a Special Summon, my Chaos Number destroys it! Say goodbye to your ultimate weapon!" With a deep percussive thump, a pulse of rainbow-hued energy emanated from C17's wings, and shot up into the sky as a shockwave, which smashed into the dragon's chest plate.

The colossal dragon gave a single, terrible screech of agony as the energy ripped through its body. Its tails thrashed about helplessly, and it frantically snapped at the multi-coloured pulse, as though trying to devour the source of its pain, but to no avail. And finally, as the dragon opened its beak to shriek a second time, a huge explosion burst outwards from its torso area, quickly swallowing the dragon whole. Skyler covered his head from the blast, visibly distraught at the destruction of his second strongest Number. But with it gone, the sun's rays were finally allowed to shine through, giving C17 a rich, radiant sheen.

"And that's not all," Leah went on. "For each monster destroyed by this effect, Chaos Number 17 gains 300 extra attack points."

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: ATK 2500 **→** 2800**

"Battle! **Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol**, attack Skyler directly!" The angel raised both hands above its head and began drawing in energy. Slowly, tortuously, a crackling green sphere began to grow atop the Chaos Number's arms. It grew larger and larger, until its size dwarfed all three duelists, and even the angel that was holding it. The monster allowed it to grow a little bigger, then swung its arms down and launched the sphere of energy at Skyler, who let out a single, horrible scream as it struck him.

The explosion was huge. It tore a huge hole in the grass, pelting the two duelists with clod and grass. Matt watched the awesome display of power with wide eyes. Eventually the light died down, to be replaced by small wisps of smoke that rose out of the crater left by the attack. And there was Skyler, lying in the middle of it, still alive but barely conscious.

**Skyler LP:** 475 → 0

Silence fell over the field. A stunned, heavy silence, as everyone took in what had just happened

Then the three remaining Deltas let out a cheer.

"They did it!" Katie squealed. "They really did it!"

"That... I just..." Dan struggled to find the right words. "That was genuinely the most incredible thing I've ever seen."

"That's not saying much mate," James grinned, slapping him on the back. "Seeing as you can only remember like three duels ever." Dan laughed as the three of them shared high fives. He was in too jovial a mood to take offense.

"I honestly didn't think they could pull it off," Katie said, looking back at the two victorious duelists. "Not against a Number like Alpha Centauri. I'm ashamed of myself for ever doubting them."

"Speak for yourself," James said pompously. "I always knew they'd be fine."

"Matt!" Leah called out. "The Numbers!"

With a start, Matt stopped gawking at the scene of destruction and raised his right hand, activating his band. Multiple tendrils of light extended from his metal band into Skyler's downed body. After a brief moment's searching, he'd managed to scoop up several Numbers in Skyler's soul. Ten of them, in fact. Just as Skyler had promised. With a gentle tug, the tendrils retracted across the field and deposited the small pile of cards into his outstretched hand.

"Is it there?" she asked.

Matt quickly sifted through the cards, looking for the one that they'd come to get. The card at the top of the pile was **Number 20: Blue Firefly**, but Matt ignored it and continued shuffling through the cards. He came across **Number 40: Trailblazing Hunter Brutsar**, **Number 55: Vapour Freeze**, **Number 53: Alpha Centauri** – the mere sight of that card made him shudder – then a Number he didn't recognise, **Number 39: Ignite-Mare**. And finally, at the sixth card down, he found it. The card they had come to recover.

He nodded to her, and flipped the card around to show it. **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**. "Yep," he said, grinning. "We got it all right."

"Good," she said, nodding with satisfaction. She glanced at her Chaos Number, still shining majestically in the afternoon sun, then turned back to Matt. "I just need to finish up a few more things here, and then we can get that card back to Dan."

"Finish up a few things?" Matt repeated. "Like what?"

"You'll see," she said. Then, quite unexpectedly, she took the remaining card in her hand and placed it on her duel disk. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, **Xyz Heroics**! When an Xyz Monster I control inflicts Battle Damage to my opponent, this card lets me revive any Rank four or lower Xyz Monster from my Graveyard and gives it the Piercing effect, but it gets destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase. Be reborn, **Number 10: Terra Storm**!" A vicious gale whipped up as the cyclonic Number returned to the field, its soulless grey eyes just as malicious as ever.

**Number 10: Terra Storm: Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600 – 0 OLU**

The cheering stopped abruptly.

"Leah, what're you doing?" Matt said, suddenly fearful. "Skyler's defeated! He's done! You don't need to attack him anymore!"

"I know," she muttered.

"Then what're y-"

"Terra Storm, attack Matt's face-down monster!"

The attack was upon him without warning. Matt cried out in shock as the hungry tornado fell on his field, tearing at his face-down, which flipped up to reveal a black-and-white armoured monster, with a streak of dark orange on its left shoulder that resembled the shape of a flickering flame.

**Paladin of Eoseuleum – Kishi: Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000**

"And don't forget," Leah added, "that due to **Xyz Heroics**, Terra Storm inflicts Piercing Damage!" The warrior gave a single pained cry and dissipated, and Matt covered his face as the blades of wind tore at him, savagely trying to tear him to pieces.

**Matt LP:** 1000 → 500

And still Terra Storm didn't let up. With Leah's band gone, every single restraint on the vicious Number had disappeared, and it was determined to make the most of it. So it continued howling away, slicing over and over at Matt's body, a gleam of joy in its eyes as it listened to the boy's pained cries. Matt thrashed about in the gale, trying to find some sort of escape, but the huge pressure of the wind was holding him too tightly, as though the air around him had been replaced by cotton and razor blades. He threw up his arms in a desperate attempt to protect himself.

Then he heard the sound he'd been dreading. That one, dreadful sound. The sound that heralded doom for Skyler, for Matt's friends, and for this entire city.

The sound of metal shattering.

* * *

Author-made cards:

Paladin of Eoseuleum - Kishi  
Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1000  
If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell Cards until the end of the Damage Step. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Candlelight" card from your Deck to your hand.

Number 53: Alpha Centauri  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 10/ATK 5400/DEF 4150  
4 Level 10 monsters  
Must be Xyz Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. When this card is Xyz Summoned: Destroy all other cards you control. You can detach 3 Overlay Units from this card; attach all other cards on the field (min. 1) to this card as Overlay Units. Each player can only use this effect of "Number 53: Alpha Centauri" once per Duel. While this card has no Overlay Units attached to it, this card is unaffected by Spell/Trap effects. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 face-up Xyz Monster; detach 1 Overlay Unit from that target.

Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
3 Level 5 LIGHT monsters OR 1 "Number 17: Passion Aurora"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then declare 1 type of Summon (Normal, Flip or Special); destroy all other face-up monsters that were Summoned this way, then this card gains 300 ATK for each one.

Number 10: Terra Storm (credit to Superjad)  
Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack while in face-up Defence Position. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. During your next Battle Phase after this effect was used, this card can attack your opponent directly, and if that effect was used more than once since your last Battle Phase, this card's maximum number of attacks this turn is equal to the number of times that effect was used since your last Battle Phase.

Xyz Heroics  
Quick-Play Spell Card  
When an Xyz Monster you control inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: Target 1 Rank 4 or lower Xyz Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target, and during this turn, it inflicts Piercing Damage, but it is destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase. You can only activate 1 "Xyz Heroics" per turn.

* * *

**Fun Fact #30: Needz moar kayos!**

**Fun Fact #31: Some people may be thinking that CNumber 17's name was inspired by its owner's username on this site. In fact, it's the other way around. This card was conceptualised a long time before she chose to join this site, and she based her username on this card's name because she thought it sounded cool.**

**Fun Fact #32: So yeah, what you saw in both the last Chapter and this Chapter was Leah exploiting the powers of the Numbers to amplify her own emotions, thus creating the emotional surge required to evolve her Number. As the Australian explorers would say: Clever girl.**

**Fun Fact #33: I think we should amend what we said back when CNumber 89 was revealed in 'First Steps into Turmoil'. Back then, we believed that the conditions for a CNumber in the anime was having less than 1000 LP to Summon it. This isn't the case. The translators corrected themselves a while back, and it turns out that the actual condition is a Continuous Effect that will destroy the CNumber if its controller has 1000 or more LP at any point in the duel. So if you have 1600 LP, you can still Summon a CNumber, but it will immediately destroy itself. To this end, all our future CNumbers (yes, there will be more of them) will have this condition or at least something similar, but we won't retroactively change CNumber 89 - it's fine as it is. If you want a canonical reason, it's because... um... er... Lithon said he didn't evolve his Number in the traditional way, but instead evolved it artificially! Sure, let's go with that.**


	9. Part 1: Ch 9

**Skyler LP:** 0

**Matt LP:** 500

**Leah LP:** 50

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2800/DEF 1800 – 0 OLU**

**Number 10: Terra Storm: Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600 – 0 OLU**

As the furious gale subsided, Matt collapsed to the ground, surrounded by the shards of his obliterated band.

"At the end of the Battle Phase," Leah went on, ignoring him. "Any monster Summoned by the effect of **Xyz Heroics** is returned to the Graveyard." Sure enough, the torrential winds died down as Number 10 faded out of existence. "With that, I end my turn."

"Leah, stop this!" Katie shouted. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," she replied, not turning around. "He has Numbers. And that's our mission, isn't it? To capture Numbers?"

"But Matt's on our side," James said incredulously. "You don't need to take Numbers from him. You know that. So what's really wrong?"

"I told you, noth-" Suddenly Leah gasped and doubled over, clutching her heart, the shadowy aura around her flickering and wavering erratically. When she looked up again, the kids noted a distinct difference in her face. The angry lines had vanished, and there was no hint of the fury or determination that had been there earlier. Now her eyes were wide and helpless. "Please... help me..." she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked. "What's happening to you?"

"T- the Numbers." She was barely able to get the words out. "They're too strong. They've infiltrated too deep... I can't hold them back-" She cried out in pain as the numbers nine and fifty-two reappeared on her arm, along with the beginnings of what looked like a number ten. "Please... get me away from Matt. My Numbers... they want to capture his Numbers... I- I'm scared I'll ki-" She screamed again as all four numbers flared into being on her arm.

"Matt!" Katie called, turning to their leader for advice. "What do we..."

Her voice seemed to die in her throat as she beheld their leader.

Unlike Leah, Matt had only ever been without his band twice while in possession of Numbers, and both times he had been completely overwhelmed by their strength. In fact, it was only Professor Usur's intervention that had saved him the first time, and Leah's presence the second time. That time, he had been training to resist the Number's influence, but his Numbers had tried to trick him and used a positive emotion to attack him, one that he hadn't been prepared to deal with.

There was nothing like that this time. Over the past few weeks, events had slowly worn away at him. Being forced to see Dan die, and watch as his team slowly fell apart, and learn about how Lithon twisted Kodoku to do his bidding, and listen to all of Skyler's horrible stories about how he hurt his victims... it had all just built up around him. After his first incident with the Numbers he had always been very stoic, choosing to keep his emotions in check as much as possible. But that hadn't solved the problem – it had only forestalled it. Even though he had never shown any outward signs, all the anger and pity and resentment... it had all been slowly building up inside him.

And now his Numbers had access to it. All of his hatred for Skyler, Lithon, and the world in general was suddenly open to them, and they wasted no time going to work on it, inflating it, bolstering it with their own powers until it consumed all of Matt's rational thinking and logic. He didn't care about his team, nor did he make any distinction between friend and enemy. He ceased to even see them as creatures with feelings and emotions. All he could see was a bunch of targets surrounding him.

He was a machine of fury and destruction once again.

Slowly he got to his feet, a billowing cloud of dark crimson enveloping him. His eyes flashed red as he glared at Leah, who returned his harsh stare. They looked like mirror images of each other; entities of fury attempting to stare each other down.

"My turn... draw," Matt said, drawing his card with exaggerated slowness. "I activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn. Be revived, **Number 51: Dark Excalibur**!" With a flash of light, Matt's original Number rose up from the Graveyard, its normally calm expression replaced by a savage grin.

**Number 51: Dark Excalibur: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000 – 0 OLU**

With no visible prompting from Matt, the black-armoured warrior sheathed its sword and crossed its arms over its body. Its body flashed a deep red colour, and all at once its armour began to change, expanding to cover the warrior's limbs, altering its shape to fit together like puzzle pieces, and slowly swallowing the Number up until only a perfectly smooth, black sphere of metal remained, with lethal-looking spikes protruding from its surface – Number 51's sealed form. Directly beneath the wicked-looking structure, a black galaxy portal opened up. "I use **Number 51: Dark Excalibur** to reconstruct the Overlay Network! Chaos Xyz Change!" The spikey sphere sank into the portal, which exploded with light and sound. "Appear! **Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita**!"

The crimson number fifty-one on the back of his hand shattered, only to reform as a darker, pulsating version of the symbol. From out of the residue a new sphere arose, identical in every way to the first one besides the colour – whereas the original form had a dull black sealed form, this one seemed to be made of glass, as though staring into a crystal ball. But the glass was certainly not transparent – instead, a curtain of black and purple shadows seemed to shift and writhe within the sphere, as though staring through a gateway into a dimension of pure darkness. Just like the previous form, however, this crystal form likewise began to separate and segment, taking on the appearance of various armoured plates as a humanoid figure began to uncurl itself from inside. As the monster stretched its arms, the shadowy crystal armour settled into place, leaving only the monsters hands, head, and midriff uncovered, the rest of it being encompassed in a robe of restlessly shifting shadows encased by glass. The warrior's sword was still as archaic as ever, and had the same split at the handle, leaving two separate blades extending away from it. A single deep purple Overlay Unit circled it.

**Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000 – 1 OLU**

"Dear lord..." Dan said incredulously. "Now there's two of these things?! How did this happen?"

James was acting a bit less composed. He was clinging to Katie's arm, staring at the two monsters fearfully. "What do we do?" he whimpered. "What the hell do we do?"

"Why're you asking me?" Katie said.

"Because you're second in command," he replied.

"Eh?!" she gasped. "How'd you work that out?"

"Because Matt and Leah are incapacitated, Dan's incapable, and I'm a rubbish leader," James answered bluntly. "Now come on: how the hell are we going to get out of this?!"

With a feeling of dread, Katie realised he was right – someone had to take charge, and she was the only realistic option at the moment. But what could she hope to do? They needed to get some new bands onto Matt and Leah to bring their Numbers under control, that much was clear. But how? And more to the point, where would they find replacements? Matt and Leah's bands were shattered, and none of the carried spares, so they only had three bands for five people. And if either she or James took their bands off, they would get infected as well.

"What do I do?" she whimpered. "Oh god, what do I do...?"

Across the field, someone was stirring.

With a groan, Skyler opened his eyes and rolled over. His body ached everywhere, and his head was pounding. He felt like he'd been electrocuted – indeed, his robotic arm was refusing to respond to his commands. He guessed it must've been damaged by that last attack. With great difficulty, he pushed himself upright and peered out of the crater he found himself in.

The sight that greeted him wasn't a pretty one.

When he'd fallen unconscious, there had been a single Chaos Number out, which was actually what had dealt the finishing blow to him. Now there were two of them, complete with two duelists who were lost in the depths of their own rage. Somewhere deep down, he knew that if either of them – particularly the girl – saw that he was awake again, the results could be catastrophic. As his confidence plummeted, he deactivated his gear and prepared to make a dash for it. If he could get to the park gates before they spotted him, he might be in with a chance of escaping with his life.

Unfortunately, a certain demonic entity was having none of it.

_"So you're just going to flee like a coward?" _A voice echoed in his head, laced with venom. _"That doesn't sound like you at all, young one. The you I remember would never run away."_

_'What do you suggest?' _Skyler snapped mentally. Briefly, he recalled the lie he'd told the Deltas, that he was only carrying ten Numbers. Right now, he was half-wishing he'd left this one – his hidden one – behind as well.

_"What do I suggest? I suggest you call me into battle this instant," _it replied, its voice growing ever more impatient. _"My strength is far beyond Alpha Centauri – let me fight these Chaos Numbers. Let me taste the blood of battle once again. Let me get revenge for you. That's what you truly want isn't it? Revenge?"_

Skyler shook his head. _'Forget it. Not a chance.'_

_"Why not?"_

_'Why not?!' _he thought incredulously. _'We don't know a damn thing about these Chaos Numbers - where they came from, what they're capable of, how strong they are, nothing. All we know is that every time I've come up against one, I've been defeated… and nearly killed too.'_

_"You little-"_

_'Don't give me any of that,' _Skyler interrupted. _'My survival is the most important thing at the moment… for me and for you. Just trust me – charging recklessly at an enemy we know nothing about, and consequently have no chance of beating, is not the way to do things. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to leave. We're going to recover. We're going to watch these kids' future duels to learn more about the Chaos Numbers. And then, when we're fully ready, we'll challenge them again. And don't you dare argue with me when you know full well that this is the right thing to do. Have I made myself clear?'_

The voice rumbled with disapproval, but otherwise didn't pursue the argument further. For the most part, Skyler figured that that meant it was agreeing with him... in its own begrudging way. With an effort, Skyler pushed himself to his feet and began to run, making for the park's exit.

It was Dan who spotted him. "Hey," he gasped, pointing. "He's getting away!"

"Leave him," James said. "We've got more pressing thin-"

"Battle!" Matt declared, cutting James off. "Dark Excalibur Reita, attack Passion Aurora Sol now!" With a wicked chuckle, the warrior shouldered its blade and lowered its stance, preparing to charge forward.

"What's the point?" Leah replied. "Our Chaos Numbers have the same ATK, so they'll just destroy each other."

"I'm aware..." Matt growled. "I activate Dark Excalibur Reita's effect! Whenever it declares an attack targeting another monster, I can detach one of its Overlay Units to stop the attack." The warrior's single Overlay Unit was absorbed into its sword, which flared with violet light along its entire length.

**Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"And why would you do that?" Leah queried, the confidence brought on by her Numbers rapidly fading.

"Because after negating the attack, it also inflicts damage to you equal to the original ATK of the attack target." Matt explained. "Passion Aurora Sol's original ATK is 2500, so you take 2500 points of damage! Go Reita – annihilate her!"

With a savage battle-cry, the shadowy warrior charged across the field, passing straight by the enemy Chaos Number and, with blinding speed, aimed a slash at Leah's neck. Reacting on impulse, she brought her duel disk up to defend herself, and the sword smashed into it with an almighty clang. From the impact point, a billowing wave of shadow seemed to explode outwards, blowing Leah backwards just like a real explosion.

**Skyler LP:** 0

**Matt LP:** 500 [WINNER]

**Leah LP:** 50 → 0

The final claxon sounded and the augmented reality began to disappear. But still the Chaos Number remained in place, standing tall over its defeated opponent, refusing to disappear.

"We're not done yet!" Matt roared. His voice sounded wild and savage; barely even human at all. "You're not allowed to die until I say so! Dark Excalibur Reita... hit her again!" With a shout, the Chaos Number brandished its sword above its head, ready to bring it down again.

"Katie, we have to do something now," Dan insisted. "If we wait any longer, one or both of them is going to get killed."

As the pressure of leadership grew greater and greater, Katie clutched her head and moaned. What could she possibly do? She wasn't a leader. She wasn't particularly good under pressure. How was she supposed to solve this? Every path led to destruction.

Then, quite suddenly, she had a brainwave...

... too late.

The Number's sword swung down in a great, shadowy arc.

And a horrible scream echoed across the park.

* * *

Author-made cards:

Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
3 Level 5 LIGHT monsters OR 1 "Number 17: Passion Aurora"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then declare 1 type of Summon (Normal, Flip or Special); destroy all other face-up monsters that were Summoned this way, then this card gains 300 ATK for each one.

Number 10: Terra Storm (credit to Superjad)  
Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack while in face-up Defence Position. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. During your next Battle Phase after this effect was used, this card can attack your opponent directly, and if that effect was used more than once since your last Battle Phase, this card's maximum number of attacks this turn is equal to the number of times that effect was used since your last Battle Phase.

Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000  
3 Level 6 DARK monsters OR 1 "Number 51: Dark Excalibur"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. Once per turn, at the start of your Battle Phase: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; during this Battle Phase, this card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. When this card targets a monster for an attack: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate that attack, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original ATK. You can only use this effect of "Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita" once per turn.

* * *

**Fun Fact #34: Bloomin' traitors, the pair of them.**

**Fun Fact #35: Reita's name is pronounced 'ray-tah', which is a pun on the combination of the words 'Excalibur' and 'Liberator'. If Konami can abuse puns then so can we.**

**Fun Fact #36: To the individual known simply as "huh", sorry we can't reply to you directly, but you need to have an account to receive PMs. Well, "huh", I'm not quite sure where to begin with your question, would you mind being a tad more specific please?  
**

**Fun Fact #37: Has anyone else noticed that, from a variety standpoint, Cloudians are the absolute best Deck for running the Rank-Up Magic cards, as its monsters are just perfect. All of them (at least the ones most Decks use) are Level 4 WATER Fairy-Type monsters, which means they have access to a metric ton of Xyz Monsters, and thus, a whole ton of evolutions. We'll just list of a few of the more common ones so you can get the idea:**

**Fairy Cheer Girl **→ **Chaos Xyz: Dark Fairy Cheer Girl**  
**Bahamut Shark **→ **Number 47: Nightmare Shark **→** Chaos Number 32: Shark Drake Veiss**  
******Number 39: Utopia** → **Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray V**  
******Number 39: Utopia** → **Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray Victory**  
******Number 104: Masquerade Magician Shining** → **Chaos Number 104: ********Masquerade Magician** Umbral  
**Number 105: Burning Knuckler Cestus the Meteor **→ **Chaos Number 105: Burning Knuckler Caestus the Comet**  
******Number 106: Giant Hand** → **Chaos Number 106: Giant Hand Red  
Number 50: Blackship of Corn **→ ******Chaos Number 106: Giant Hand Red**  



	10. Part 1: Ch 10

**Skyler LP:** 0

**Matt LP:** 500 [WINNER]

**Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000 – 0 OLU**

**Leah LP:** 0

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2800/DEF 1800 – 0 OLU**

The sword seemed to take forever on its way down, as though time itself was determined to draw out the duelists' suffering for as long as possible. Leah had her arms thrown up in a futile attempt to defend herself as the Chaos Number's blade bore down on her. Matt watched everything, a demented grin splitting his face.

Then, several things happened at once.

The sword wreathed itself in a curtain of shadows...

...Katie and James screamed...

...Leah shut her eyes tight...

...a streak of gold blazed across the field...

...the sound of crackling electricity coupled with the swoosh of the blade...

...and an explosion, the likes of which they'd never seen, ripped across the park. It wasn't a normal explosion with fire and smoke; it was a pulse of pure energy that tore up the grass and earth, pelting Matt and the spectators. Leah was directly beneath the epicentre, and covered her face as the shockwave passed overhead. She caught the smell of burning hair as the blast singed her scalp, and felt her very skin tingling at the immense power.

Stunned, her ears ringing, she glanced up to see what had caused such a thing... and beheld her own Chaos Number standing over her, grappling with Matt's. In the commotion, Passion Aurora Sol had come to her aid, charging its fist with a pale yellow aura which crackled like electricity, and smashing it head on into Dark Excalibur Reita's shadowy blade. It was this that had produced the explosion.

Dark Excalibur Reita's twisted grin quickly became impatient scowl, mirroring Matt's. Its eyes narrowed, its teeth bared, and it pushed down harder with its sword, trying to force the opposing Chaos Number to its knees. But the golden angel refused to give an inch, pushing back just as hard. Neither could make any headway.

Leah attempted to use the distraction to shuffle back, away from the confrontation. If she could get to a safe distance, she could call on more Numbers to fight. But as if sensing her intentions, Reita turned its glare on her and shifted its grip slightly, as if warning her not to move. Sol used the temporary lapse to push the sword back a few inches, but Reita quickly returned its attention to the struggle, and they were deadlocked again.

Katie breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew... I thought she was done for."

"Speak for yourself," James said, trying and failing to keep the shakiness out of his voice. "I- I wasn't worried in the slightest..."

"Shush James," Dan said, before turning to Katie. "Do you have a plan?"

She nodded, trying to stay calm. "I think so... but we've got literally seconds. I need you to do exactly what I say and don't question me." Dan nodded without hesitation. "Both of you..." she added, turning to James.

Her boyfriend nodded. "You're the boss."

"Alright..." Katie took a deep breath before giving her first order. "Dan, get a hold of James and restrain him."

"Restra- whuh?!" James gasped in shock as Dan swiftly grabbed hold of his arm, ducked underneath it, and twisted it up behind his back. "What the hell is- Katie, what're you doing?"

"Sorry James," Katie said. She raised her right hand and pointed it and the centre of James' chest. The polished metal band on her wrist lit up a pure white colour.

James' eyes widened. "You're not using that bloody thing on me!" he said, struggling against Dan's hold on him. "Gerroff me! Let me go, you-"

"James, just calm down. It won't hurt, I promise-" Katie insisted. Unfortunately, James was now beyond reason, and was wrenching at Dan's grip with all his might. Finally abandoning her attempts to explain, she decided that it was better to just get on with it, and released her band's powers, sending the tendrils of light from her wrist straight into her boyfriend's chest.

It was the most unsettling thing he'd ever felt. James could actually feel the band's influence poking around in his very core, searching, scouring. He hadn't felt this strange since his Number first infected him. He suddenly understood why it was usually better for a Number holder to be defeated before the band was used – Numbers derived their strength from their owners, and if James' will had been stronger, his Number could probably have fought off the invasive powers. Still, even though it was outmatched, he could feel his Number fighting back. The sensation of a miniature war being waged inside his own soul made him feel horribly nauseous. While Katie had been right about it not hurting, it was still one of the weirdest sensations imaginable, and he found himself involuntarily thrashing around, trying to escape the sense of 'wrongness' that plagued his body as the band worked its magic.

As quickly as it started, it was over. The tendrils retracted from James' body, carrying with them the only Number that James owned – his original, **Number 73: Matrix Gardna**. Katie caught it her outstretched hand, and Dan immediately released his hold in James, who collapsed to his knees. His skin was pale, and he was breathing heavily.

"Katie..." he muttered. "Why...?"

She knelt down in front of him, feeling overwhelmed with guilt. "James, I'm sorry, I really am. But we've got so little time left... I promise, I'll give your Number back after we're done with this-"

"But why...?" he murmured, staring up at her. "Why did you do that?"

"I'll explain later, I swear," she assured him. "But right now I need your band."

"My... what?"

"Your band," she repeated. "I need to borrow it for a while."

"You..." The realisation hit him like a truck, and he stared at her in awe. "So that's it..."

"Katie," Dan interrupted. "We have to move now!"

"James, please..."

Without another word, James slipped the metal contraption off his wrist (for possibly the first time in months) and pressed it into Katie's palm. He felt no fear or trepidation as the band changed hands – with his Number gone, he no longer had any need for the thing. Which, he now knew, was why Katie had done what she'd done. Her gamble had paid off.

Now they had two spare bands.

"Katie, seriously," Dan insisted, slipping his own band off his wrist as he prepared to run. "It's now or never! I'd prefer now!"

Katie made to stand up, but James squeezed her hand before she could. "Be careful..." he muttered. "Those creatures are lethal... and their Numbers are pretty scary too."

She nodded. "I'll be back soon, I promise," she whispered, before releasing his hand and turning to Dan. "Alright, Dan, get your band onto Leah! I'll handle Matt! Go!" With no more time to spare, the two kids sprinted towards the duel as fast as their legs would carry them.

Dan reached his target first. Throwing himself to the ground, he rolled underneath the two Chaos Numbers – which were still grappling for control of the blade – and landed heavily beside Leah. She regarded him first with surprise, then with fury, and she opened her mouth to order her Chaos Number to strike the intruder.

Before she could articulate the words, however, Dan grabbed a hold of her arm and pressed the smooth metal against the back of her left hand.

The results were instantaneous. The four glowing symbols on her right arm, as well as the dark pulsating one of her left, flickered out of existence, and Leah gave a sharp intake of breath as the four invasive creatures were banished from her mind. At the exact same moment, Passion Aurora Sol seemed to dissipate into a shower of light particles, and Reita staggered forwards as the pressure on its blade vanished. The monster seemed confused as to where its enemy had disappeared. It couldn't comprehend it. Puzzled, it turned back to its 'master' for new commands, and spotted Katie speeding towards Matt as fast as she could.

As emotion-starved and primitive as its consciousness was, Reita had no way of knowing that Katie was trying to subdue it with the shiny piece of metal in her hand. Nor did it fully understand how the bands even worked. Still, someone was moving purposefully towards its master, and the Chaos Number immediately perceived it as a threat. Its instincts kicked in, and a single thought formed in its head – _'eliminate'_.

Spinning on its heel, the shadowy warrior let out a battle cry and charged towards Katie. She, noticing the danger, immediately quickened her pace, desperate to reach Matt before the Number reached her. James and Dan shouted to her, spurring her on.

The mental warning, however, reached Matt before either of them did. As inexorably linked as he and his Numbers were, they immediately sensed the potential danger from Reita's thoughts, and urged him to turn, quickly! He glanced over his shoulder, and for a brief moment his furious expression was replaced by one of surprise as Katie closed in on him, even as Reita closed in on her.

"She's not going to make it," Dan muttered. Leah said nothing – exhaustion had finally gotten the better of her, and she was out like a light.

Katie was so close now. She was less than three metres away. She could almost taste victory. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Reita was just as close now. She could see right into its eyes; they were dark, soulless, and filled to the brim with pure hatred.

Right now, it wanted nothing more than to kill her.

She watched as, mid-stride, the dark warrior steadied its weapon in preparation to swing, and heard a whooshing sound as the length of the blade was wreathed in shadows.

_'You're not winning this race!' _she thought determinedly, and with her final step she lowered her body, took a deep breath, and launched herself at Matt. Her right shoulder slammed into his stomach, and she wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him down to the ground with her.

The shadowy blade passed harmlessly overhead, missing her by millimetres.

They both landed heavily, and Matt felt all the air driven out of his lungs. He lay there, dazed and breathless, as Katie quickly scrabbled for his arm and touched the metal band against his skin.

With a bellow of frustration, Dark Excalibur Reita seemed to explode into cloud of light particles just as Sol had done. At the same time, Matt gave a sharp intake of breath as every single other conscience in his mind – fifteen of them – were swept aside like leaves in a gust of wind. The aura of shadows faded from around his body, and the seemingly unstoppable tide of anger and bitterness was suddenly drained away, leaving a strange void that was filled only surprise, confusion, and guilt.

Slowly, tenderly, Katie pushed herself up and grinned at him. Her hair was a mess, her shirt and jacket was covered in mud, and she was holding her arm awkwardly, as though her shoulder was causing her pain. But that didn't stop the joy spreading across her face as she beheld their leader.

"Welcome back, Matt," she smiled.

Then Matt's eyes closed, his head slumped back, and he fell into the welcoming embrace of sleep.

* * *

Author-made cards:

Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
3 Level 5 LIGHT monsters OR 1 "Number 17: Passion Aurora"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then declare 1 type of Summon (Normal, Flip or Special); destroy all other face-up monsters that were Summoned this way, then this card gains 300 ATK for each one.

Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 6/ATK 2800/DEF 2000  
3 Level 6 DARK monsters OR 1 "Number 51: Dark Excalibur"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. Once per turn, at the start of your Battle Phase: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; during this Battle Phase, this card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. When this card targets a monster for an attack: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate that attack, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original ATK. You can only use this effect of "Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita" once per turn.

* * *

**Fun Fact #38: Slightly shorter Chapter this time, but this one really deserves to stand alone, as every attempt we made to write about the aftermath of the duel seemed to cheapen the effect of the entire Chapter. You'll have to wait a little for the resolution.**

**Fun Fact #39: The "Chaos" story isn't over yet. Not be a long shot.**

**Fun Fact #40: Apparently 'Gerroff' isn't a word. Hmm, who knew...**


	11. Part 1: Ch 11

Matt awoke with a start.

The first thing he noticed was silence. The second was light – there was something bright shining directly onto his face and into his eyes. He clenched his eyes shut again and allowed his other senses to explore his immediate surroundings. As he felt the softness of a pillow beneath him, and the warmth of the duvet draped over him, he quickly realised that he must be in a bed. The question was whether it was his bed, or a hospital one. Nervously, he sat up and opened his eyes again.

He needn't have worried. He was safely back in his bedroom, and from the looks of it, he'd been out for quite a while. The sun was just beginning to rise – which, he realised, must've been the light shining on his face – yet it had been nearing midday by the time they'd finished the duel.

The duel!

With dread, he recalled the events of the previous day – at least, he assumed it was yesterday – and strove to remember every minute detail. He wanted to remember if any of his friends had been hurt or, worse, if he'd been the one that hurt them. Unfortunately, the effort proved futile. His brain was scrambled, his memories disjointed and confused. He could remember vague impressions, but not exact details.

Frustrated, he swung his feet out of bed and into a pair of slippers. He'd just have to ask them himself. His sense of foreboding made him feel uneasy, and there was a small part of his mind telling him to hide under the covers to escape the prospect. Matt chided himself for being such a coward, and angrily pushed the thought out of his mind as he searched for his dressing gown.

Then, as he slipped it on, something caught his eye.

It was on his desk, exactly where he left it every night. A Deck. His Deck. And sitting on top of it was his Number card, **Number 51: Dark Excalibur**. A grimace crossed his face. It was always Dark Excalibur on top – no matter which card was on top of his Deck when he went to sleep, Dark Excalibur would always be on top when he woke up. It bugged him, but it didn't cause him any major concern. Dark Excalibur had always been quite a show-off.

Matt picked the card up and looked at it in the way that had become his habit, as though trying to find some hidden meaning in the card that had eluded him the previous nine-thousand times he'd examined it. Once again it yielded none of its secrets, but as Matt went to put the card down he spotted something else. A new card, sitting top of his Deck where Dark Excalibur had been, one that hadn't been there a second ago, one that he'd never even seen until yesterday.

"**Chaos Number 51: Dark Excalibur Reita**..." he muttered.

If he had any delusions about yesterday all being a bad dream, the presence of that card dispelled them in an instant. He swiped up that card too, pocketed both his Number and his new Chaos Number, and again went to leave his room. Yet again, however, he was stopped by something. This time it was a pile of cards, lying face-down next to his Deck. Curiously, he picked them up and examined them.

He had only gone through two cards before he realised what they were. They were the cards that he'd extracted from Skyler yesterday. There were ten of them.

Sifting through them, he recognised **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**, the very card that they had sought to obtain in that duel. He smiled to himself – at least that part of the plan had gone well. If luck was with them, Dan would soon have his memory back.

He also recognised **Number 20: Blue Firefly**, **Number 3: Comet the Skylord**, **Number 55: Vapour Freeze**, **Number 68: Underworld's Hands**, and **Number 40: Trailblazing Hunter Brutsar** - the cards that Dan had managed to capture when he was still able to hunt, and which Skyler had taken from him a while back.

Then there was **Number 25: Sonicboom Dragon** and **Number 53: Alpha Centauri** – two of Skyler's own Numbers, and two incredibly powerful Numbers. Both had been capable of causing horrific injuries to duelists just by attacking, and Matt found himself feeling sick just looking at them.

There was also a card he'd never seen before, **Number 39: Ignite-Mare** – he assumed that this was another of Skyler's Numbers, which he probably extracted a while ago. For some reason, looking at the card made him sad, as it represented yet another innocent bystander that Skyler had maimed.

And then he came to the tenth card. This card was another one he didn't recognise, but it grabbed his attention in a way that Ignite-Mare simply didn't. It seemed very... how could he put it... vocal. Its very image seemed to scream to him about the person who'd created it – whoever that was – and he could practically see which emotions had gone into forming this card. Glancing at the stats and effect, he could also see why Skyler had kept it on his person. This was a very strong Number.

For some reason, it seemed to remind him of someone. A long time ago, he'd met someone who seemed to embody this card's very essence. Briefly, he wondered if that person had been this card's original owner.

Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he decided that maybe getting dressed would be a good idea. A rogue Number could appear at any time, and they still had a job to do. Plus, it would be good to capitalise on this moment and grab as many Numbers as possible whilst Skyler was still recovering.

*HALF AN HOUR LATER*

Fully dressed and apprehensive, Matt finally left the sanctuary of his bedroom and stepped out into the living room area. He spotted his team immediately; they were sitting at the dining table, chatting to each other. As far as he could tell, they all seemed to be perfectly fine. Leah noticed him walk in and smiled.

"Morning Matt," she said cheerfully, beckoning him over. As he sat down between her and James, he noticed that the four of them had spread all of their own Numbers out on the table in front of them. Most prominently, he noticed a new card in front of Leah. One which, he knew, had not existed until yesterday. **Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol**.

"You too?" he asked, indicating the card.

"Yeah," she nodded. "So does that mean you...?"

He nodded and fished around in his pocket, his hand emerging a moment later with his own Chaos Number. "So I guess yesterday happened after all."

"Looks like it," she muttered. Matt noticed that she seemed troubled by something. There was a brief lull in the conversation, while Matt tried to think of what to say next. He had just about decided on what to say when, quite unexpectedly, Leah threw her arms around him and hugged him. "Sorry Matt," she whispered.

"Me too," he replied, returning the hug, albeit awkwardly. "I should've had more control over my Numbers than that."

"Remind me to train you better next time," she grinned, finally releasing him.

He smiled back and, almost subconsciously, glanced down at her wrist. "So you got hold of a new band then?"

She shook her head. "It's not mine, it's Dan's," she said, and Dan nodded to him. "He doesn't have any Numbers, so he used his band to protect me, just like Katie used James' to protect you."

"James'?" Matt queried. "But... doesn't he have a Number too? How did he-"

"I extracted it," Katie said, her voice racked with guilt. "We had Dan's spare band, but that wasn't enough for both of you. And me and James couldn't take our bands off without being taken over. So while the duel was going on, I used my band to extract James' Number, then took his band to give to you."

"I think that's a metaphor for most divorces," James muttered.

"Relax James," Leah grinned. "Think of yourself like a police officer with a taser. No police officer is qualified to use a taser until they've been through training on how to use it, which actually includes being tasered yourself! So by that logic, out of all of us, you're the one who's most qualified to use the band."

"Hmph," James said, but everyone saw the way his lips curled at the corners, and they knew that he bore his girlfriend no ill will. She kissed him on the cheek.

Suddenly, Matt remembered the state Katie had been in after almost being diced by his Chaos Number, and immediately turned to apologise. Katie, however, seemed to guess what he was thinking and just laughed it off. "You don't need to apologise; I'm fine," she assured him. "I have a bit of bruising in my shoulder from where I hit you, and that's it. It's no big deal."

Matt nodded, still feeling guilty, and tried to think of a way to change the subject.

"So... looks like the Professor gave you new bands," he said. It hadn't escaped him that everyone on the table was wearing a band, including himself.

"Yeah, but not after we got a royal tongue-lashing about breaking them in the first place," James grumbled.

"When we got home, you and Leah were unconscious, and Katie wasn't far off," Dan continued. "So me and James put you all to bed, then we went to get replacement bands for ourselves, as well as some spares just in case. Like you said," he nodded to James, "Professor Usur wasn't happy. He gave us a good ten minute rant about how his supply of bands isn't limitless, how he isn't made of money, how we should be more careful with them, etc."

"What did you tell him had happened to them?" Katie asked, and Matt realised that she and Leah probably didn't know this part of the story either. "Did you mention the Chaos Numbers?"

Dan shook his head, but it was James who answered. "No. It's none of his business."

"Why not?" Matt asked. "He's our boss after all."

James shrugged. "I dunno. I just... would any of you have told him?"

"Nope," Leah said straight away. "I agree with you. There's something about the Professor that I just don't trust."

"Same," Katie added. "I know he's our boss, but if what happened to you yesterday had happened to me, I certainly wouldn't go to him for advice. I'd sooner go to Doctor Lithon." Without seeming to notice, she crossed her arms as if she was feeling cold. "It's just... something about him is weird. He doesn't feel very trustworthy, you know?"

While this conversation continued, Matt examined the other Numbers that were laid out on the table. Excluding the Chaos Number, Leah had five of them, as did Katie. James had one – he smiled as he saw it, as it meant that Katie had given it back after all – and he had six, plus the ones he'd extracted from Skyler.

And that reminded him.

"Don't you think it's time we got down to business?" he said, cutting off the conversation mid-sentence.

"Business?" James asked.

In response, Matt reached into his pocket, pulled out the pile of nine Xyz Monsters, and held it up for all to see. He'd rearranged them earlier, so that the top card was **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**.

Leah's eyes widened, and as one the four kids turned to look at Dan, who was likewise looking apprehensive. "Well," he said. "This is the moment of truth then."

"You think this will work?" Leah asked.

Dan shrugged. "How would I know?

"I wouldn't get your hopes up too high, just in case it doesn't work" Matt warned them. "It seems pretty unlikely to me."

"Unlikely or not, it's still worth a shot," Leah insisted.

Matt nodded. "Indeed. Dan, hold out your hand." Dan did as he was told, and Matt extended his own so that the pile of nine cards were hovering just above Dan's hand.

"You're going to give him all of them?" Katie asked, surprised.

"Yes," Matt replied. "Most of them were Dan's to begin with before Skyler took them, so it's only right that he should have them back. As for the rest of them, the ones that Skyler had..." he shuddered, "...I can't stand the sight of the things."

Katie nodded, understanding.

"Ready for this?" he asked.

"Nope," Dan said. "Just go for it."

Without another word, Matt placed the cards in Dan's palm and withdrew his hand.

Dan felt the cards in two ways. He felt them as a smooth, gentle pressure on his skin as the cards were deposited in his hand. But he also felt something else - it was ever so faint, but unmistakable. A tiny, immeasurable presence, pressing on what could have been his heart, but it felt too ethereal for that. It was more like a tiny wisp of smoke, or something else with no weight of substantiality, had coiled itself around his very soul. It was quite an unsettling feeling.

The four Deltas watched him expectantly as he sat there, motionless, his eyes distant. As usual, the nine glowing symbols briefly flared into being on Dan's right arm as the cards changed hands, but beyond that, nothing. Dan gave no indication as to whether it had worked or not. He seemed to be pondering something, oblivious to the world.

"Well?" James said, finally getting bored after three minutes of waiting. "Did it work?"

They watched as Dan seemed to snap out of a trance. He glanced around the group, rather subconscious of the way they were staring at him.

For a moment, there was just silence.

Finally, Dan shook his head. "No. Nothing."

"Damnit," Katie muttered.

Leah looked slightly more upset. "So I guess that duel was for nothing..." she said.

"Hey, I wouldn't go that far," Katie cut in. "We scored a huge victory against Skyler, retrieved almost ten percent of the Numbers from him, and got ourselves two powerful new weapons." She indicated Leah and Matt's Chaos Numbers. "That's got to count for something, right?" Leah nodded, but still seemed saddened by the result.

Matt sighed. "Looks like that healing Number is our only hope after all," he said. "We just have to wait for that girl to return to this city."

"But she's surrounded by the press," James argued. "She spends most of her times in hospitals. Hell, she can't even walk down the street without someone begging her to heal their relative or something. So how do we-"

The alarm went off. The Professor had installed it a while back to make sure Team Delta never missed a Number alert. It was designed to be as loud and as obnoxious as possible, and it did its job admirably.

Katie glanced up at the thing in exasperation. "You've got to be kidding me. Now?!"

"He can't really expect us to go out after yesterday," Dan said.

James snorted derisively. "Have you even met our boss?"

With another heavy sigh, Matt stood up. "Alright then, everyone get your gear," he said. "I suppose we should get to work."

* * *

**Fun Fact #41: Told you we weren't finished.**

**Fun Fact #42: That thing about tasers is actually true. Any police officer signing up for the force must have a taser used on them during training before they are allowed to wield one. The reason being that it hurts, and they have to understand the sort of pain they could be inflicting before using a taser. Plus, in court, their reasoning of why they used a taser to subdue someone becomes infinitely stronger if they have experienced the same thing themselves. The same holds true for pepper spray.**


	12. Part 2: Ch 1

**Gouka LP:** 300

**Number 61: Absolution Inferno: Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 9/ATK 3000/DEF 1900 – 1 OLU**

Infernal Flame Emperor: Pyro-Type/FIRE/Level 9/ATK 2700/DEF 1600

Infernal Flame Vixen: Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2700/DEF 2000 – 1 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Backfire, Kickfire [1 Counter]

**Katie LP:** 2500

**Solstice Armoured Mage: Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 400/DEF 2000**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Herculean Power

"Lunch is served!"

Leah, Dan, Katie, and Gouka – a boy with fiery orange hair and an even more fiery personality – all turned to the source of the shout. It turned out to be James, grinning and carrying an armful of wrapped sandwiches. Matt, who had gone with him, was likewise laden with fish and chip meals.

Earlier that day, the five of them had left their apartment at the beck and call of their alarm, and gone out in search of a new Number that had cropped up. Once again, Professor's Usur's taxi service had taken them there, and on the way they had plenty of time to chat, laugh, joke, and generally put themselves in a more jovial mood after the events of that morning. Leah, for one, was quite excited at the prospect of testing her brand new card.

"I can't wait to see the look on Doctor Lithon's face when we pull this on him," she giggled. "He is going to go ape!"

Some time later, they had arrived on the coast and stepped out onto the beach; the same beach, in fact, where Matt had dueled his first Number holder. Here, they had located the Number holder with little difficulty, and the four of them then engaged in a friendly game of rock-paper-scissors-lizard-spock to decide who would duel him, with James refusing to take part.

After just a few rounds, however, Gouka had interrupted the game and said that he didn't care who dueled him, but insisted that whoever did must have a FIRE Deck. Since Katie was the only one of them with a FIRE Deck, she had agreed – much to Leah's dismay, and to Matt's relief, as he had no desire to duel again so soon after yesterday – and had quickly engaged the holder in a duel. They had battled in earnest, and Gouka had even managed to Summon his Number a mere three turns in.

The Number itself made for an impressive sight. It seemed to be vaguely humanoid in structure, with slightly more demonic credentials in the form of large clawed feet and hands, plus what could've been a skull surrounded by pieces of armour embedded into its chest. Unfortunately, its true form was made difficult to see by the intense coat of raging flames that adorned the Number's body like a large cloak. The flames were hot enough to be felt by the spectators, and burned an angry orange and red colour, with a deeper purple hue towards the centre, and lighter yellow at the flickering edge of the flames.

Shortly after the duel had begun, however, James had announced that he was bored and wanted to go get some lunch, which had earned him a quite a withering look from Katie. Fortunately, she had eventually consented, placed her order, and returned her attention to her impatient, slightly disgruntled opponent. Matt had volunteered to go with him and help him carry everything. It was only after they had left that Gouka had managed to Summon his infernal Number.

But at last they had returned, and James, for one, was surprised to find the duel still going on.

"Eh? Haven't you beaten this guy yet?" he asked incredulously, handing out the lunches. "We've been gone at least twenty minutes."

"Well, I'm sorry that not everyone is the amazing duelist that you are, James," Katie retorted sarcastically. "This Number is strong, and it's taken me until now to find a way around it."

"What took you so long anyway?" Leah asked, digging into her fish and chips. "The shops are literally just around the corner – it should've taken you like ten minutes."

James pointed accusingly at Matt. "Blame him for that! He said he'd get the fish and chips while I got the sandwiches, but when I came to get him he hadn't even placed the order!"

"I didn't know what I wanted," Matt protested. "There was too much choice-"

"Give over," James laughed. "You're in a fish and chip shop, so there are precisely two choices; fish, and... wait for it... chips!" As the others joined in the laughter, he walked over to where Katie was dueling and held out a sandwich wrapped in plastic. "Here you are missus. Your BLT with extra bacon as requested." But, as Katie reached out to take it, he suddenly snatched it out of reach. "Which you may only have after you've defeated this guy."

Katie grinned and put her hands on her hips. "Ooh, is that a bribe?"

"I like to think of it more as an incentive," James smirked, backing off. Then he turned to Gouka and shouted, "Oh, by the way, I picked something up for you if you want it-"

"Shut it!" the ginger-haired boy shouted. "I have no time for breaks – this duel is serious! I have to win, to prove that I'm the best FIRE user in the world! You hear me? The world!"

"Jeez," said James, shaking his head. "A simple 'maybe later' would've sufficed. Why are all Number holders so serious nowadays?"

Katie laughed, then returned her attention to the duel. "Alright, I Normal Summon Gemini Scorpion." A pair of warriors appeared – one with red hair and one with white – both wearing dark armour with red highlights that didn't stretch all the way down their arms. They both carried two curved daggers each.

Gemini Scorpion: Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 400

"Gemini Scorpion's effect activates," she declared. "When this card is Summoned, I can Special Summon any Level four or lower Gemini monster from my hand. So come on out, **Solstice Pyromancer**!" A new Spellcaster-Type monster appeared in a whirlwind of flames. It was dressed in a ragged dark-red cloak, with dull bronze armour visible underneath it, and a long staff in one hand.

**Solstice Pyromancer: Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1000**

"And now, Level four Gemini Scorpion, **Solstice Pyromancer**, and **Solstice Armoured Mage**, Overlay!" The twinned warriors turned fully orange, whereas the two magicians lit up red. Then, the bunch of monsters all shot up into the air, sailing upwards towards a galaxy-shaped portal that had opened up in the clouds above them. "I use these three monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The monsters spiralled up into the portal, which exploded with light, and sent a shockwave of wind ripping across the beach. James covered his sandwich protectively. "Descend forth, **Number 33: Spheracron the Cyclone Absorber**!"

The yellow number thirty-three flashed above the field, and etched itself into Katie's right hand. From inside the clouds a perfectly spherical structure descended. It was a brilliant green colour outlined with grey, and seemed to have been seamlessly constructed. A hatch on the top of the sphere opened and the clouds above the monster began to swirl as fast as a whirlpool, as the air currents from the sphere whipped them into a cyclonic formation. Two bright orange eyes opened on the front of the sphere, and looked straight down at the duel below it. Its three green Overlay Units circled it, falling in perfect alignment with the Number's spherical structure, like glowing moons orbiting a planet.

**Number 33: Spheracron the Cyclone Absorber: Machine-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1600 – 3 OLU**

"Spheracron..." Leah observed between mouthfuls. "Interesting choice."

"Ok," Katie said, addressing her opponent directly. "Before I go any further, I need your opinion on something."

Gouka's eyes narrowed. "Go on."

"This Number," she went on, pointing up at it. "Do you think it would look good on a keyring?"

James groaned in exasperation.

"What?" Leah asked. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he replied. "Just a private joke."

The enemy holder was positively livid by this point. "For crying out loud!" he raged. "You chose to stop this duel again – _again_ – to ask a stupid bloody question like that?! Are you even taking this duel seriously?"

"Um..." Katie pondered how to tactfully say no. "Are you sure you want me to answer that?"

"No!" Gouka snapped. "I want you to hurry up and finish your damn turn, alright?!"

"If you insist," Katie shrugged. "I activate Spheracron's effect! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can steal a Level four or lower monster from your Graveyard and equip it to Spheracron." One of the green orbs, as if suddenly caught in an updraft, spiralled up above the mechanical sphere and then straight down into the hatch on top of it.

**Number 33: Spheracron the Cyclone Absorber: 3 **→** 2 OLU**

The clouds above the sphere began to spin faster and faster, whipping up a proper hurricane. Gouka's Graveyard Zone suddenly lit up like a miniature lantern, and out of it materialized one the monsters he'd used to Xyz Summon his Infernal Flame Vixen – Spirit of Flames. The monster was sucked into the sky and swept away by the layer of spinning clouds. They could actually see it, thrashing around in the sea of white, trying to escape. Then, the hatch on top of the Number opened wider and the clouds were suddenly being drawn into the Number like a white whirlpool. The flaming spirit was sucked straight in with them. The hatch closed, and the entire spherical structure flashed a bright green as its ATK was increased.

**Number 33: Spheracron the Cyclone Absorber: ATK 2200 **→** 3050**

"And by my maths, that's enough to finish the game right here," Katie grinned. "Go, Spheracron, attack Infernal Flame Emperor!" In front of its 'face', the Number began to manifest a pure white sphere of wind, which swelled to a huge size as more of the clouds were pulled from the atmosphere into it. Then, when the sphere was as big as the Number itself, it launched it down to earth, completely engulfing both the flaming centaur and Gouka himself.

**Gouka LP:** 300 → 0

**Katie LP:** 2500 [WINNER]

The finishing claxon sounded, signalling the end of the duel. Smiling to herself, Katie reached out her right hand, and sent the swarm of glowing tendrils from her band straight into her downed opponent. After the attack he'd just received from Spheracron, Gouka was in no state to start resisting, and instead merely lay there, dazed and confused, while Katie's band worked its magic. After less than twenty seconds of careful searching, the tendrils withdrew, carrying with them a card which they deposited into Katie's outstretched hand. **Number 61: Absolution Inferno**.

With a nod, she pocketed the card and turned back to her boyfriend. "Ok, _now_ can I have my sandwich?" she demanded.

James grinned and surrendered the package, and together they returned to eat with the rest of their team, leaving Gouka lying in the sand to recover.

Sitting there, on the mostly deserted beach, the ocean not too far away, and the gulls flitting about around them, the five of them quickly found it very easy to feel peaceful. Before long, the sounds of merriment echoed across the sand. They chatted about their successful hunts, speculated on what Skyler, Lithon, and Deiana might be doing right about now, made jokes at each other's expense (mostly James'), and contemplated what they would like to do once everything was over.

"I'll tell you one thing for certain," Leah said, pointing at Dan. "Once we've found that healing Number and gotten your memories back, hunt or no hunt, we're all definitely coming back here."

"Hear hear," James agreed, theatrically raising his bottle of lemonade.

Dan laughed and mimicked James, holding up his tub of miniature jelly. "You seem pretty sure that the healing Number will work," he observed, settling back down to eat his dessert.

"Of course it will," Leah insisted. "If it can heal burn victims, then it can heal a damaged soul."

"Isn't that a bit of a leap?" Dan asked.

"Nonsense," she grinned. "You worry too much. It'll work, trust me. Now then-" she jumped to her feet, "-who feels like going exploring with me?"

"Exploring?" Matt queried.

"Yeah. We're always so busy, and this is the first proper time off we've gotten in a while. I say we should use it and have a little fun."

"And what exactly did you want to explore?" James asked skeptically.

By way of an answer, Leah pointed down the beach, and the rest of Team Delta followed her indication. The sand stretched a long way in both directions, but few hundred yards away in one direction the sand stopped at the side of a cliff-face, which was guarded by a harsh rockery. Past that, however, there was an opening into the side of the cliff. The mouth of a cave.

Inside the cliff, they knew, the cave split off into many tunnels and passageways, which twisted and turned in every direction beneath the stone, becoming so confusing and convoluted that keeping your bearings was almost impossible. Many travellers and tourists alike had wandered into its depths and never come out. The locals had dubbed them the Arcane Caves. Their very name betrayed their sense of mystery. There was a sign on the outside, warning tourists not to go wandering about too deeply inside. Not that there would be any point – there was nothing to see in there but stone.

"The Arcane Caves?" James said. "Why? There's nothing in there."

"I know," Leah replied. "I just thought it'd be fun to do a bit of exploring. It'll be like an adventure!"

"How old are you again?" James asked sarcastically.

"Don't be a spoilsport James," Katie said, giving him a soft swipe across the head. "I'm up for it. Who knows, it could be a fun little escapade."

"I'm in," Dan said.

"Me too," Matt added. "But we're not doing to deep inside, ok? I don't want any of us getting lost in there."

"Seriously? You're all going?" James asked incredulously. When they nodded, he let off a sigh. "Fine, go pretend you're eight years old. I'll stay here and look after Gouka."

Leah jumped for joy and immediately started racing across the sand towards the cave opening. Matt smiled at her enthusiasm and stood up to follow, as did Katie and Dan. James began cleaning up their rubbish. However, all four of them were suddenly stopped by a bleeping noise from Katie's D-Gazer. She'd received a message, but for once, it wasn't from Professor Usur. Puzzled, she opened the message, and read it through silently.

Her smile was slowly replaced by a look of horror.

"What is it?" Matt asked, tensing himself for danger.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide in shock. "Th- that was Keane."

"Keane?!" James gasped. "You mean Esta's big brother? They guy who assaulted you with a deranged Number and half killed you? What the hell is he messaging you for?"

"He needs our help," Katie replied shakily. "He said... he said someone's kidnapped Esta."

* * *

Author-made cards:

Solstice Armoured Mage  
Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 400/DEF 2000  
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: ●This card's original DEF becomes 2600.

Solstice Pyromancer  
Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1000  
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: ●When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can target 1 FIRE monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target in face-up Defence Position.

Number 61: Absolution Inferno  
Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 9/ATK 3000/DEF 1900  
2 Level 9 FIRE monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a WATER "Number" monster. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. When either player takes Battle Damage: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; inflict damage to your opponent equal to that Battle Damage.

Number 33: Spheracron the Cyclone Absorber  
Machine-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1600  
3 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. When a Spell/Trap Card(s) on the field would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 Level 4 or lower monster in your opponent's Graveyard; equip that target to this card (max. 1). This card gains ATK equal to half the ATK of that equipped monster.

* * *

**Fun Fact #43: Told you those Arcane Caves would be relevant later.**

**Fun Fact #44: Jelly is such a happy food! That pile of gelatinous pulp is probably the most joyous and cheerful inanimate object on the planet. Even when someone's eating it, it's still dancing around as if it couldn't be happier. "I'm being devoured! HURRAY!"**

**Fun Fact #45: Shark, we're sorry to say, is a cheater. When he Summoned Shark Drake Veiss in Episode 97, he had 1400 Life Points, but he used the effect of Sargasso to reduce his Life Points to 900, thus allowing Shark Drake Veiss to remain on the field. This would not work. Shark Drake Veiss' effect is a Continuous Effect, which would destroy it the moment it hit the field, long before Sargasso even got a chance to activate, let alone resolve.**

**Fun Fact #46: Yuma, we're not at all sorry to say, is a cheater. You all no doubt recall Yuma's escapades with the Shining Draw creating Zexal Weapons, which is very similar to how Yusei and Jack used to draw Majestic Dragon back in the 5Ds series. All of these examples are, from an anime standpoint, not so bad. Since there is no way to verify Yusei, Jack, or Yuma's top card(s) before they draw, there is no way for the watchers to prove that they weren't going to draw those cards anyway. However, as sketchy as that is, what Yuma did in Episode 98 – changing Limited Barian's Force into Numeron Force – was infinitely worse. That was downright cheating. When Magic Recycler placed that card on the bottom of his Deck, it became public knowledge, so everyone knows it's there. Since everyone also knows it was the only card in his Deck, everyone knows it must be in his hand, as it was clearly the only card he could've drawn. Then, suddenly, it's a different card entirely! Yuma, that is seriously unfair of you – this is the sort of thing we ban people from tournaments for. And Astral, what happened to all that 'true duelist' integrity you showed back in Episode 12? You condemned Rikuō and Kaiō for manipulating their cards, then went and did exactly the same thing yourself in this Episode! If no-one else will say it then we will – Vector fully deserved to win that duel after being cheated like that...**


	13. Part 2: Ch 2

No matter which way she looked at it, Katie didn't like this situation one bit.

They had long since left the beach, and were now weaving their way through the backstreets to the location that Keane had told them Esta was being held. Unfortunately they'd been too late to catch Leah, who had sprinted away into the Arcane Caves, so they had instead left a message on her D-Gazer, informing her of the situation. Matt had insisted that she would be fine on her own – she could handle herself better than most. If the worst came to pass and she got lost, she could always radio Professor Usur for help. The Professor, they knew, would not hesitate to tear apart the entire cave system to retrieve one of his Number Hunters and – more importantly, they suspected – the Numbers she held.

Katie was supposed to be leading the way using the coordinates Keane had sent her, but she couldn't concentrate. Her mind kept coming up with more anomalies in Keane's message, ones that she simply couldn't work out an explanation for. One sentence in particular had stood out:

_"Please help me get my sister back. You're the only ones I can turn to."_

What about the police? This was a kidnapping, plain and simple. As far as she could tell, it had nothing to do with Numbers. So why did Keane contact them and not the police? And more to the point, if he knew where Esta was being held, why hadn't he stormed the place already? Playing things safe was not Keane's style. She knew better than most that if someone had attacked or threatened his sister, Keane would not sit idly by and wait for backup. No, he would charge in there and rip them all limb from limb to save her. So what was scaring him now?

And what of Esta's condition? As far as Katie knew, Esta was still recovering from the horrific injuries she'd sustained a while back. So how would a gang of thugs have managed to sneak into a secure hospital and just walk out again with a heavily injured girl in tow?

Something just didn't add up.

"Which way next?" James muttered beside her.

Katie glanced at the display on her D-Gazer. "We stay on this road for about half a mile, then turn right up ahead... hey James, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

As briefly and as quietly as she could, Katie explained the doubts she was having. Matt and Dan didn't hear – they had dropped back a little while Matt explained to Dan who Keane and Esta were.

"So what do you think?" Katie asked once she'd finished.

James scratched the back of his head. "I dunno... does seem a bit fishy, doesn't it? The police are the logical people to call, and yet Keane contacted us. But why...?"

Neither of them had an answer. And so they continued to walk in silence for several minutes, pondering the ins and outs of Keane's message, as well as their available options. Finally, Katie spoke up once again. "Oh well, it can't be helped."

"What can't?" James asked.

"This, "Katie said. "We still have to go. No matter how suspicious his message might've been, the fact remains that Esta being kidnapped is still a possibility. We'd be worse than heartless to walk away from something like that."

"I guess you're right," James grumbled. "Maybe we're just reading too much into it. But let me ask you something: what do we do when we get there?"

"Easy. Give them a stern talking to," Katie grinned.

James laughed. "Now that I'd like to see. But seriously, what're we going to do."

Katie pondered the question for a moment. "I'm not sure," she said finally. "Keane said he's waiting for us there, so I think the first thing I'll do is talk to him and ask him why he doesn't want to involve the police."

"And then?"

"We call them," she replied. "And if that isn't an option, we find a way in ourselves."

"Meh," James shrugged. "That's a better plan that any I can think of."

The convoy of Number Hunters turned one final corner and, quite suddenly, came face to face with a building. It was an old warehouse; a very old warehouse from the looks of it, tucked in between two buildings as though it was trying to hide from the rest of the city. The once gleaming white paint was now a murky grey colour, and was peeling away from the walls in great chunks. The roof was in tatters, pot-marked across its entire surface with holes and cracks. The few windows that hadn't been smashed in were coated in a green grimy substance that was so thick, they couldn't see a thing through them. Through the broken ones, there was only darkness.

If the kids had any doubts that this was their destination, they were immediately quashed when they saw the entrance to the building. The wooden doors would once have been sturdy, but time had worn away at them until they were rotten, with rust coated hinges and a locking mechanism that looked like it was on its last legs. But what really drew their eyes was just below this ancient lock. A chain, brand new and sparkling, was wrapped around the door handles. It was strange, seeing all the bright links of metal glinting in the sun, surrounded by grubby doors, shattered windows, and peeling paint. There was a padlock affixed to the chain, but someone had undone it earlier and just left it hanging there uselessly.

James sighed. "This wouldn't happen to be our destination, would it?"

"As it turns out, yes," Katie replied in an undertone.

"If this is the place, then where's Keane?" Matt asked suspiciously. "He said he'd meet us outside, didn't he?"

Katie nodded. "Maybe he already went inside," she suggested, pointing at the open padlock.

"I doubt it," Dan replied, speaking for the first time. "If he did, why can't we hear him going crazy in there? And why would he bother to close the doors behind him?"

James shrugged. "Maybe he already went in and got Esta out."

"Maybe," Dan muttered. "But again, why close the door behind him?"

"Katie, wait!" James gasped. Matt and Dan turned just in time to see her place her hands against the doors and push them open. The chain rattled noisily as it was dragged through the door handles, and the doors themselves creaked loudly on their rusty hinges. As a final touch, the padlock banged against the wooden doorframe, producing a hollow bang that echoed through the wide empty building.

Dan sighed. "Well, I guess they know we're here."

"Katie, could you have possibly been any louder?" James hissed.

"Sorry," she said, feeling abashed. "I just want to get in there and find Esta. She could be in danger."

"And she could also be safe already," Matt pointed out.

"Of course, but the point is that we don't know ," Katie insisted. "We don't know where she is, or where Keane is, and he's still not responding to any of my messages. One way or another, we have to find out what happened to her."

"So we really only have two options then," Matt said, pointing back the way they'd come. "We go home." Then he pointed over Katie's shoulder, into the warehouse. "Or we go in."

"Make that one option," James piped up. "We're not just going home. We're not just walking away from this."

"And who put you in charge James?" Matt asked, a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Why? Do you disagree?" James countered.

Matt shook his head. "On the contrary, I was going to vote for going in."

"Then it looks like we're all in agreement," Dan said. He glanced at Katie. "Right?"

"Absolutely," she replied. Then, without another word, she spun on her heel and strode confidently through the doors and into the warehouse. The three boys followed.

It was almost pitch black inside the decrepit building. While they could see a faint glow of sunlight through the windows, it was only enough to tell them that the sun did, in fact, still exist. Besides their own footsteps, the warehouse was completely silent too. After only a few steps inside, Matt stopped, and signalled for the others to do the same.

The silence pressed down on them as they stood there, unsure of what to do.

"What do you think?" James whispered to Matt.

"I dunno," Matt replied. "I would say it's deserted, but we can't be sure. If there are people in here, then they would've heard us opening the door, and they would've had plenty of time to hide."

"So what do we do?"

Matt was silent for a moment, apparently considering something. "Katie, call out for Esta," he said. "Maybe she'll reply if she hears us."

"Esta!" Katie shouted immediately, her voice echoing around the humongous room. "It's us! We've come to save you! Can you hear us?"

"Yes!"

Katie's heart leapt at the sound of the familiar voice. "Where are you? Are you close?"

"I'm here!"

As if on cue, a series of lights mounted into the ceiling blinked into life, casting a dazzling light around the warehouse which, after the inky blackness, blinded the Deltas. Katie shielded her eyes and blinked as her pupils adjusted to the light. Behind her, she sensed the other three doing the same.

Finally her vision improved, and she quickly scanned the area in front of her, taking everything in. The warehouse was mostly empty inside, barring a raised walkway that ran around the perimeter of the warehouse's interior, and was held up by several thick wooden pillars.

And chained to one of them, directly opposite the doorway, was Esta.

She looked in a bad way. Her blonde hair was dangling in a dishevelled mess around her head, and she was leaning against the pillar as though she was exhausted, her hands chained to it behind her back. Although she was now wearing civilian clothes as opposed to her hospital gown, it was clear that she certainly shouldn't be out of the hospital yet. Bruises and cuts, all in various stages of healing, covered her face, neck, and forearms, and a ragged bandage was still wrapped around her head. She held her left leg awkwardly, as though she was afraid to put too much weight on it.

And yet, despite everything, despite the amount of pain she was clearly in, she was still smiling, overjoyed at the very sight of them.

"Esta!" Katie exclaimed, and started forwards towards her.

Something snagged at her foot, and before she could stop herself, she tumbled forward and collapsed to the ground. She let out a pained groan as a spasm shot through her injured shoulder, and rolled over to glance at her foot. A length of rope was wrapped around her ankle. She assumed that she'd stepped through the loop and tugged it tight when she stepped forward. Following the rope back, she saw it attached to a sturdy metal ring fixed just inside the doorway. She also noticed that James, Matt, and even Dan were likewise ensnared.

"Unless you want to receive far worse injuries than that, I suggest you stay exactly where you are."

Katie scowled. The voice was coming from under the raised walkway, where the shadows still prevailed. It was unmistakably male, but what with all the echoing in the building, she couldn't tell any more than that. Esta froze at the sound of the voice, and all the joy seemed to drain out of her body.

"Who's there?" Katie called. "What do you want with us? And what do you want with Esta?"

"With her, nothing. With you four, a great deal," came the reply.

"I'm not having a conversation with a concealed coward," Katie snarled, standing up defiantly. "Show yourself, you creep!"

"Ha! If you really want..." From a patch of darkness directly behind Esta, a figure stepped out. He was a boy of about their own age, dressed simply in jeans and a brown, short-sleeved shirt. His hair was bleach blonde, and his eyes – a dull hazel colour – were filled to the brim with pure malice.

Keane.

Katie gasped in shock.

"Is that you Keane?" James called, squinting at him. "Mind telling us what the hell is going on?"

"Big brother... please don't hurt them," Esta whimpered. "They haven't done anything. They just wanted to help me. They d-"

"Shut up!" Keane snarled.

And he slapped her across the face.

* * *

**Fun Fact #47: Are we still allowed to use the phrase "BOOM! PLOT TWIST" in our stories? Because it does seem to fit this one quite well.**

**Fun Fact #48: If you have a low tolerance for violence, we strongly suggest that you skip the next two or three chapters. Since most of you have read this far anyway, I assume you'll be absolutely fine. It's just a heads-up; the next few chapters aren't going to be pleasant.**

**Fun Fact #49: Ok, questions. Everyone in ZEXAL is now running around collecting the seven Legendary Numbers, but... well... doesn't being 'legendary' mean it exists in legends? Legends are born by something being revered and/or feared over a long period of time. The Numbers in the anime have existed for less than a year. How could some of them possibly become legends in that time? And how did anyone have time to build a temple around Number 44, which also became decrepid, in less than a year? And even if the reverse is true, and the temple/legend existed before the Number itself did, then why are they called Legendary Numbers when that is a blatant misnomer. They aren't legendary themselves, they're just piggybacking off of pre-existing legends.**

**Fun Fact #50: Seriously, screw dissertations.**


	14. Part 2: Ch 3

Katie cried out in horror as Esta recoiled, a tiny whimper of pain escaping her. She glanced up at her brother, her eyes wide and helpless, her shoulders trembling, trying her best not to cry.

"Whoa..." James gasped. "Keane... mate... what the hell...?"

"I'm not your mate," Keane growled. He turned away from his injured little sister and stood facing Katie. "So, we meet again, Katie," he muttered. "I'd be lying if I said it was good to see you again."

"Cut the small talk," Katie snapped. "Why did you hit Esta?"

"I told her to shut up and she didn't," Keane said matter-of-factly.

Katie was totally dumbstruck. "Wh- but, you... I... what's happened to you?"

"Nothing," he replied. Then, without warning, he took a small step backwards and placed the heel of his foot on top of Esta's foot. Without turning around, he transferred his weight onto that leg, grinding his sister's foot into the floor. Esta let out an agonised sob and tried to pull away, but with her hands chained she could barely move.

"Stop it!" Katie shouted, tugging furiously against her own restraint. Looking at the rope, any hopes she had of just pulling free evaporated in an instant. It was too expertly tied. "James!" she shouted.

"What is it?"

"Go over there!" she commanded, pointing at the iron loop where the ropes were fixed to the wall. "Undo this thing! I'm going after Keane the moment you're done!" James hesitated, uncertain. "Now!" With a start, he turned and ran over to the wall, Matt and Dan following him.

"I wouldn't bother," Keane said scornfully, removing his foot. Esta let out a gasp of relief. "They'll never get them undone without a knife."

"Keane, what the hell are you doing?" Katie replied, literally shaking with rage. "Did you kidnap her? Did you bring her here?"

"Yes," he replied simply.

"Why-" Suddenly the penny dropped. She stared at Keane in disbelief. "A trap... this was a trap, wasn't it?"

"Right in one. I used her as bait to lure you here – I knew that you'd come running halfway across the continent if you thought Esta was in distress." He turned to Esta and lifted his hand, gently stroking the side of her cheek. She flinched at the contact. "Although," he went on, still addressing Katie, "I didn't really want those other three idiots here. Just you."

"Why just me?" Katie asked.

"A duel," Keane replied. Katie could see the side of Keane's face as he stared at his sister, but she saw no kindness in his expression, no sense of caring or empathy. Just scorn and hatred... and the sort of demented glee in psychologically torturing the person he hated most in the world. That much, Katie could understand, for she had done a terrible thing to Esta in the past.

But using his sister like this? That wasn't the Keane she knew.

"A duel? Why?" she asked, half her attention focussed on the two siblings, the other half focussed on the rest of her team as they continued to wrestle with the ropes.

"To make you suffer," Keane replied.

"But why didn't you just ask me?" Katie asked, bewildered. "If you had pretended to be nice to me and just asked for a duel, I probably would've said yes. Why did you have to involve Esta?"

"Because it suits me." Without warning, he reached up and, with a twist of his hand, took hold of a length of his sister's hair and tugged it so hard that her head was pulled back. Her screams echoed around the empty building. Keane pulled even harder, a savage grin in his face. "How about this, eh?!" he asked loudly, raising his voice so Katie could hear him over the screams. "Does this make you angry?! Doesn't it just make your blood boil?!"

"Stop it! Leave her alone!" Katie shouted desperately, once again wrenching at her bonds.

"Then duel me!" Keane shouted back, a slightly demented note creeping into his voice. He yanked harder, and Esta's desperate cries grew louder. "Duel me for her freedom!"

"You sick jerk!" she yelled. "Fine, I'll duel you! Just let her go!"

With a satisfied nod, he released her, and the young girl went limb against her restraints. Her entire body was shaking and she was breathing heavily, but there was still no sign of any tears. She must have been terrified of what Keane would do to her if she started crying.

As the duelists prepared their equipment, James leant against the wall, feeling physically ill at the horrific display of torture. He'd never seen anything quite so vicious and cruel in his life.

"You doing alright?" Matt asked, watching the two duelists impassively.

"More or less..." James muttered.

"Speak for yourself," Dan said, still trying to free Katie's rope, but to no avail. "That was horrific!"

"Tell me about it," James replied. "The Numbers can be cruel sometimes, but I've never seen one even come close to this. He's just in another league of heinous." He glanced at Matt, who had still yet to show any anger of his own. "Why're you being so stoic all of a sudden?" he asked. Vaguely, he was aware of the augmented reality field materializing around them, tinting the entire warehouse an eerie green colour. The duel was about to start.

In response, Matt fished around in his pocket and pulled out a card. "We have to be in control of our emotions," he explained. "Even in situations like this. _Especially_ in situations like this. If we don't, bad things happen." As if to prove his point, he flipped the card around to show James. It was his Chaos Number.

James nodded, understanding.

_"AR Vision – link established."_

"DUEL!"

**Keane LP:** 4000

**Katie LP:** 4000

"I'll take the first move," Keane asserted. "I draw. First, I Normal Summon Rescue Rabbit." With a flash of light, the fluffy creature – complete with hard-hat and a whistle – hopped onto the field.

Rescue Rabbit: Beast-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 300/DEF 100

"Then I activate Rescue Rabbit's effect," he continued. "By banishing it, I can Special Summon two copies of a Level four or lower Normal Monster from my Deck. I choose **Bujin Uzume**." As the rabbit faded from existence, two new monsters appeared to take its place. They were clearly female, with skin glowing a pure yellow colour, as though the sun itself was shining though their bodies. Their torso and limbs were adorned with pieces of grey, segmented armour, with intricate carvings etched into it that allowed the radiant light beneath it to shine through.

**Bujin Uzume: Beast-Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1300**

**Bujin Uzume: Beast-Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1300**

"Now then," Keane grinned. "Both Level four Uzumes, Overlay!" Both monsters immediately took on a bright yellow energy form and, abandoning their previously humanoid shape, darted up into the air. Beneath them, a circular red portal opened. "I use these two Bujin monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" Together, the two bolts of energy dived into the portal, which exploded with light. "Arise, Bujintei Susanowo!" A new creature leapt out of the portal and took a fighting stance in front of its Summoner. This monster was, in terms of appearance, very similar to Uzume, with a few exceptions. Its armour was dyed a rusty red colour in some places, and covered a much greater portion of its body. It held two swords in its hands – one thin, one broad – and wore a helmet with carefully-modelled horns flowing from the back of it. Two yellow Overlay Units floated in circles around it.

Bujintei Susanowo: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 1600 – 2 OLU

"Now I activate the effect of Susanowo!" Keane continued. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can add a Bujin monster from my Deck to my hand." With two quick slashes, Susanowo carved up one of the glowing orbs circling it.

Bujintei Susanowo: 2 → 1 OLU

"I choose my third copy of **Bujin Uzume**." Keane's duel disk extracted the card for him, which he placed in his hand. "With that, I end my turn."

"My turn then, I draw." Before starting her move, however, Katie quickly decided to make sure of something. "Keane! Just so we're clear, I have your word that if I win, you'll let Esta go without a fuss, right?"

"Sure, why not," Keane sneered. "You won't be winning anyway."

"Say it!"

Keane sighed. "Fine. I absolutely promise to release my sister if you defeat me," he said in a mocking tone. "Better?"

"Much," Katie nodded. "Now, I Summon **Solstice Pyromancer**!" The spellcaster that appeared was dressed in a ragged cloak, with dull bronze armour visible underneath it, and a long staff in one hand.

**Solstice Pyromancer: Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1000**

"And now, I activate the Spell Card **Great Phoenixian Blitz**!" The Spell appeared on her field. "With this card, I have to target and destroy one FIRE monster I control, but once I do, I can Special Summon any monster with Phoenix in its name from my hand or Deck." Her sole monster, Pyromancer, dissipated in a whirlwind of flames. "Come on out, Phoenix Gearfried!" In place of the destroyed spellcaster, a proud warrior in white and red armour, with a flowing golden cape and blazing shoulder pads, materialised.

Phoenix Gearfried: Warrior-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200

"Battle!" she declared. "Phoenix Gearfried, attack Susanowo!" With a shout, the warrior leapt at Keane's field and took a mighty swing at Susanowo. The Bujin emperor was cleaved in two by the tremendous weight of the blow, and let out a pained shout before dissipating. Keane covered his face as the shockwaves hit him.

**Keane LP:** 4000 → 3600

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Her set card appeared, and she looked up at the girl behind Keane. "Don't worry Esta," she called. "I'll have you out of here in no time, ok?" Esta nodded, but kept her mouth firmly shut.

"My turn, draw," Keane growled. "I Summon **Bujin Uzume**!" The third copy of his radiant, armoured monster took to the field.

**Bujin Uzume: Beast-Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1300**

"Then I'll activate a Spell Card of my own; Faustian Bargain!" He placed the Spell Card onto his duel disk with barely-concealed anticipation. "With this, I can send any Special Summoned monster on the field to the Graveyard. I choose your Phoenix Gearfried!" The regal warrior gave a single pained cry before bursting into particles of light.

"No!" Katie gasped.

"And that's not all!" Keane went on. "I can also Special Summon any Level four or lower Normal Monster from my hand. So come on out, Vorse Raider!" The creature appeared this time had the vague semblance of a human, but with a twisted smile and a horrific curved blade that was clearly designed with torture in mind.

Vorse Raider: Beast-Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1200

"Battle!" he shouted. "Vorse Raider, direct attack!" With a wicked chuckle, the twisted monster steadied its weapon and prepared to charge.

But Katie was ready for it. "I activate the Trap Card, Birthright!" Her lone Trap Card activated. "With this card, I can revive any Normal Monster from my Graveyard. And that includes Gemini monsters, since they're treated as Normal Monsters while in the Graveyard." Her Graveyard zone lit up. "So reappear, Phoenix Gearfried!" With an explosion of light and flames, the armoured paladin burst onto the field once again.

Phoenix Gearfried: Warrior-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200

Keane grumbled with displeasure. "Since the number of monsters you control changed, I'll call a replay. Vorse Raider, stop your attack!" With an equally displeased look, the Beast-Warrior stood up straight and let its weapon fall to its side.

James wiped his brow. "Phew," he breathed. "Not three turns in and this duel's already getting pretty heated."

Keane sneered at him. "Just you wait..." he said, before raising his hand. "Level four Uzume and Vorse Raider, Overlay!" Both monsters morphed into structureless amorphous masses – one yellow and one purple – before shooting up into the rafters of the building, clearing the way for a red spiral portal to open beneath them. "I use these two Beast-Warrior-Type Normal Monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two energy signatures chased each other down into the depths of the portal, which erupted with light. "Appear! **Zan'nin the Vengeful Barbarian**!" From out of the explosive residue leapt a huge monster, which landed behind Keane with a ground-shaking thud. It was at least twelve feet tall and vaguely humanoid in structure, with dull beige skin stretched over a ridiculously muscular chest. It had four arms, each one as thick as a tree trunk, and a circular metal block fixed to each of its wrists made of pure bronze, which was buffed and polished to such a degree that it cast eerie reflections onto the walls. An equally shiny helmet was perched on its head, but still failed to conceal the monster's horribly scarred and disfigured face, which stared out at Katie with barely-disguised hatred. Esta gave out a small 'eek' of terror and shied away from it as best she could.

**Zan'nin the Vengeful Barbarian: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 2200 – 2 OLU**

"Brace yourself, you scum!" Keane roared. "Zan'nin's effect activates! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can destroy any monster you control with more ATK than he has, and inflict damage to you equal to half its ATK."

"What?" Katie gasped.

"You heard me! Zan'nin, destroy Phoenix Gearfried!" The disfigured monster instantly reached out and snatched an Overlay Unit out of its orbit, crushing it between its massive fingers.

**Zan'nin the Vengeful Barbarian: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

Then, with a howl of fury, the monster charged straight at Katie's field and delivered a single, horrible punch to the armoured warrior. The huge fist smashed straight through its chest armour as though it wasn't there, and Gearfried roared in pain. The second fist glanced off the side of Gearfried's head, but it was the third one that finished the job, slamming deep into the monster's stomach. The warrior exploded, and Katie staggered back from the shockwaves.

But it wasn't over yet. With another barely-human bellow, the monster lumbered out of the smoke and swung a humongous fist at Katie. It slammed into her with the force of a train, and she was lifted off her feet and thrown back, collapsing in a heap on the floor a few feet away.

**Katie LP:** 4000 → 2600

* * *

Author-made cards:

Bujin Uzume  
Beast-Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1300  
_A well-revered deity of levity, who's Dance of Kagura can bring forth the radiance of the sun itself._

Solstice Pyromancer  
Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1000  
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it become an Effect Monster with this effect. ●When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: You can target 1 FIRE monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target in face-up Defence Position.

Zan'nin the Vengeful Barbarian  
Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 2200  
2 Level 4 Beast-Warrior-Type Normal Monsters  
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls with a higher ATK than this card; destroy that target, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the destroyed monster's ATK in the Graveyard. This card cannot attack during the turn you activate this effect.

Great Phoenixian Blitz  
Spell Card  
Target 1 face-up FIRE monster you control; destroy that target, and if you do, Special Summon 1 "Phoenix" monster (except "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys", "Phoenixian Seed" or "Phoenix Beast Gairuda") from your hand or Deck. You cannot Special Summon other monsters the turn you activate this card.

* * *

**Fun Fact #51: Alright, multiple choice question, what's making Keane act this way? Is it (A) He's bored from not having enough screentime, (B) Numbers, (C) He's possessed/brainwashed by someone, (D) He's not actually Keane, (E) He's gone insane, (F) Some other reason. All vote now.**

**Fun Fact #52: The name Uzume comes from ****Ame-no-Uzume-no-mikoto, a goddess from Japanese mythology. At some point in the Shinto lore, Amaterasu (the sun god) got really annoyed at Susano'o (her brother, the sea god) after he threw a temper tantrum, and consequently hid herself away in a cave, which cut off all sunlight to the Earth. It was Uzume who finally coaxed her out. She stood on a tub and did a weird dance which made all the other deities laugh, and made Amaterasu stick her head out of the cave to see what all the fuss was about. The moment she did, they shut the cave behind her and asked her to rejoin the divine order, to which she agreed. And thank goodness too. I'm quite fond of the sun.**  


******Fun Fact #53: Zan'nin is a Japanese word, meaning 'brutality'.**

**Fun Fact #54: So yeah, we created a Phoenix archetype. Woo! Just so you know, there are several variants of the word 'Phoenix' in the OCG. There's Phoenix (フェニックス _Fenikkusu_), Phoenix (鳳凰 _Hō'ō_), Phoenix (フェニクス _Fenikusu_), and Phoenixian (フェニキシアン _Fenikishian_). We went for the first one - the easiest and most varied one in terms of its kana - so we had to make a few exclusions on Great Phoenixian Blitz's text. In addition, Daigusto Phoenix and Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis are also excluded from this archetype, but since they can never be Summoned from the hand or Main Deck by this card anyway, we didn't bother listing them.**

**Fun Fact #55: We used the name 'War God' as an interim. Once the TCG changed it, we retroactively matched the change.**


	15. Part 2: Ch 4

**Keane LP:** 3600

**Zan'nin the Vengeful Barbarian: Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 2200 – 1 OLU**

**Katie LP:** 2600

Keane smirked as Katie gingerly picked herself up. "Pitiful," he said scornfully. "Is that really all it takes to bring you down? You've grown soft since I last dueled you." When Katie failed to reply, he simply shook his head and took another card from his hand. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

With a great effort, Katie began her move. "My turn, draw. First off, I Special Summon Woodland Archer!" A heavily bearded, blue-skinned monster took to the field. It had long horns like a mountain goat, a blue scaly tail, and was carrying a green bow.

Woodland Archer: Beast-Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 3/ATK 1400/DEF 1300

"This card can be Special Summoned from my hand if I have two or more Normal Monsters in my Graveyard," Katie explained. "Since Pyromancer and Gearfried are both Gemini monsters, they count as Normal Monsters in the Graveyard, which gives me exactly two."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware," Keane said in a bored tone. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Esta. "Seriously, do I have to start hitting her again to make you get a move on?"

Katie glared at him. She had never thought that there was anyone she could hate more than Doctor Lithon or Skyler, but Keane was really pushing it. "I activate Woodland Archer's effect. By Tributing it, I can add any Gemini monster to my hand. I choose **Solstice Armed Mage**." Her duel disk extracted the card for her, and she placed it in her hand. "Then I Normal Summon Gemini Scorpion!" A pair of warriors – one with red hair and one with white – took to the field, both wearing dark armour with red highlights that didn't quite stretch all the way down their arms. They both carried two curved daggers each.

Gemini Scorpion: Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 400

"Gemini Scorpion's effect activates," she declared. "When this card is Summoned, I can Special Summon any Level four or lower Gemini monster from my hand. I choose **Solstice Armed Mage**!" A pale-skinned magician appeared, wearing a dark red trench coat and carrying a long staff. At the end of the staff was a sculpture of a dragon wrapped around a crystal ball.

**Solstice Armed Mage: Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 200**

"Let's go! Level four Armed Mage and Gemini Scorpion, Overlay!" Both monsters morphed into amorphous masses of energy – one red and one orange – and shot up to the ceiling. Where they had stood, a portal opened. However, unlike all the other Xyz portals that had been used this duel, this one was black and galaxy-shaped. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two Material Monsters blazed into the portal like miniature comets. The portal exploded, and a column of fire shot out of it. "Be born! **Number 91: Flarestormer**!"

A bright red number ninety-one flashed above the field. Out of the column of fire rose the Number's sealed form – it resembled a piece of rock in a V-shape, with volcanic veins pulsing over its surface. A massive crack rent the stone in two. Then another split, and another, each one revealing more of the monster hidden within. It was a centaur, with a burning body. With a roar, the creature freed itself from its shell, and stretched its arms to the sky, as though trying to embrace the concealed sun. Its body seemed to be made entirely of magma, with only a few black strips of armour and its orange bat-like wings giving it any semblance of bodily features. Two red Overlay Units orbited it.

**Number 91: Flarestormer: Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 200 – 2 OLU**

Keane sneered at the sight of it. "So you've appeared, Number 91..."

"Battle!" Katie declared. "Flarestormer, attack Zan'nin!" The blazing centaur readied itself for the charge. "I activate Flarestormer's effect! During the Damage Step, when one or more monsters are battling, I can detach one of its Overlay Units to boost the ATK of one of those battling monsters by 100 for each monster in my Graveyard." One of the red orbs shot out of orbit and into the monster's chest.

**Number 91: Flarestormer: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

"I have **Solstice Armed Mage**, Woodland Archer, Phoenix Gearfried, and **Solstice Pyromancer** in my Graveyard," Katie counted off. "That's four, so Flarestormer gains 400 ATK."

**Number 91: Flarestormer: ATK 2000 **→** 2400**

"Whoa whoa, wait, what?" James gasped. "What's the point in that? They have the same ATK now. They'll just destroy each other."

"James, pay attention," Matt replied curtly. "Yes they have the same ATK, which means Zan'nin will be destroyed. But Numbers can only be destroyed by other Numbers, so Flarestormer will survive."

"Oh yeah..." James said sheepishly. "My bad-" He was cut off as Flarestormer wreathed itself in a coat of flames and charged at Zan'nin. The heavy, disfigured monster was no match for the blazing Number, and as Flarestormer smashed into it, it exploded violently, spewing embers and smoke in all directions. Keane covered his face, and Esta screamed as the maelstrom of fire came dangerously close to her before dying away.

**Number 91: Flarestormer: ATK 2400 **→** 2000**

Katie gasped. In her determination to defeat Keane, she'd Summoned her Number and attacked immediately, completely forgetting that Esta was only a few feet behind her opponent. Numbers were deadly creatures; she couldn't afford to hurt Esta with one. Not again.

"You done?" Keane asked, unable to keep the scorn out of his voice.

"Keane..." She paused, unsure of how to phrase the question. "Don't you think it's a good idea to move Esta away from the duel if Numbers are getting involved?"

"Her?" Keane glanced behind him. "Nah, leave her there. A little pain builds character, doesn't it Esta?" His sister said nothing, and Keane's sneer was quickly replaced with a scowl. "_I said_ doesn't it Esta?!"

"Y- yes..." she stuttered.

"Good girl," Keane chuckled. "You can go back to keeping your mouth shut now. And you-" He turned back to face Katie, "-can hurry up and finish your damn move already!"

Katie just stood there, staring at the boy with a mixture of horror, revulsion, and fury. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. She just couldn't believe how much Keane had changed since the day they'd last met, and she also couldn't think of any possible reason that could prompt such a change.

Well, she had an inkling...

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," she said slowly. Her set card appeared directly behind her Number.

Keane snorted derisively. "Then it's my turn, I draw." He glanced at the card he'd drawn, and immediately decided to play it. "I Normal Summon Gene-Warped Warwolf!" A hideous, deformed werewolf appeared, standing on its hind legs and howling at the sky it couldn't see.

Gene-Warped Warwolf: Beast-Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 2000/DEF 100

"Then I activate my Trap Card!" he declared. "Cry Havoc!, and let slip the dogs of war!" His face-down card activated. "As long as this card is in play, during my Main Phase, I can banish one monster from my Graveyard to Normal Summon one Normal Monster from my hand as an additional Normal Summon." He grinned maliciously, holding his hand out to his Graveyard. "Oh, and the best part is that there's no limit. I can use the effect as many times as I like per turn, as long as I banish one monster for each usage."

"You're joking!" Katie said, aghast.

Keane laughed at her horror. "I use this effect three times, by banishing all three Uzume's from my Graveyard!" The three copies of his Bujin monster all materialised behind him as translucent images, before fading away into the void. "Come forth! Noble Knight Artorigus! Gladiator Beast Andal! **Kagutsuchi**!" At the same moment, a grand total of three new monsters appeared on his field. One was a warrior, garbed in an old-fashioned suit of armour with fur a lining and no helmet, and carrying a shimmering longsword. The second was a colossal black bear, with strips of violet armour draped over portions of its body. The third monster closely resembled a minotaur, but instead of a bull's head, its head seemed closer to that of a wildebeest. A series of long, perfectly straight scars stretched across and around its body, neatly separating the monster into eight segments. The scars weren't normal either – they seemed to glow orange and red, as though streams of lava were flowing just beneath the creature's skin.

Noble Knight Artorigus: Warrior-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800

Gradiator Beast Andal: Beast-Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1500

**Kagutsuchi: Beast-Warrior-Type/FIRE/Level 4/ATK1850/DEF 800**

"Ready for this?!" Keane roared. "Level four Warwolf, Artorigus, Andal, and **Kagutsuchi**, Overlay!" Four separate bolts of energy – two orange, one yellow, and one red – all launched upwards from where the monsters had stood mere moments ago, clearing the way for a portal to open beneath them.

A galaxy-shaped portal.

"No!" James gasped. "Not a Number! Not now!"

Matt's face was still impassive, but as he watched the four Xyz Material Monsters chase each other down into the portal, he couldn't help but feel nervous. He had known from the beginning that Keane was possessed – it was the only logical explanation for his behaviour – and that at some point in the duel, he was bound to Summon his Number. He also knew that if it required four Materials, it was bound to be very big and/or very powerful. Matt had known that, but he hadn't accounted for the area that the duel was taking place. Now, however, that ceiling looked awfully fragile. If this Number turned out to be too big, then it could smash straight through it and bring the entire building down on top of them.

Apparently, Katie had had the same thought at the same moment. "Keane, stop!" she cried. "You can't Summon that here! It could bring the whole warehouse down! You'll kill us all!"

"Too little too late, you piece of trash!" Keane laughed maniacally. "Perhaps you should've considered that before accepting my challenge! Now then, I use these four monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The portal erupted with light, and a maelstrom of dark red flames spilled out. "Show yourself! **Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise**!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Kagutsuchi  
Beast-Warrior-Type/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1850/DEF 800  
_The lord of the calderas themselves. It is said that when he falls, eight volcanoes will simultaneously erupt and bring untold misery to the world._

Solstice Armed Mage  
Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 200  
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: ●This card's original ATK becomes 2400.

Zan'nin the Vengeful Barbarian  
Beast-Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2400/DEF 2200  
2 Level 4 Beast-Warrior-Type Normal Monsters  
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls with a higher ATK than this card; destroy that target, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the destroyed monster's ATK in the Graveyard. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.

Number 91: Flarestormer  
Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 200  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's Damage Step, when a face-up monster battles: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 of the battling monsters; that target gains 100 ATK for each monster in your Graveyard until the end of the Damage Step.

* * *

**Fun Fact #56: Told you this story would be a long one. We're not even halfway done with it and it's already longer than the Filler Collection.**

**Fun Fact #57: The name Kagutsuchi comes from Japanese mythology. Kagutsuchi was a diety that was born unto Izanami and Izanagi, but because he was a fire kami, his mother (Izanami) died from the burns he gave her as he was being born. His father (Izanagi), stricken by grief, sliced Kagutsuchi into eight pieces, which eventually went on to become a series of eight particularly violent volcanoes. Remember what we said earlier in this story, how mythology can be really morbid sometimes? Yeah...**

**Fun Fact #58: Gah! Wolves are not catapults, damnit!  
**

**Fun Fact #59: Katie's real-life counterpart, who also happens to be the person who conceptualised Number 91: Flarestormer, is actually getting really frustrated at how weak her character's Number is. She was desperate not to let her card get too broken, but now that the game has advanced somewhat, she's finding that her card is actually too weak to keep up with most of the other monsters in these stories. Don't worry, she'll be able to compensate for it when her Chaos Number appears (whenever that may be).**


	16. Part 2: Ch 5

In the back of her mind, Leah was wondering how it was physically possible to get this lost.

The cave system was endless. Every single passage she took led to absolutely nothing except more passages, more forks in the road, and took her deeper into the cliffs. It wasn't as if it was just a straightforward maze either. The passageways ran up and down and all around, creating multiple layers that interlocked with each other and made navigation even more confusing. She had absolutely no idea how high or low she was in relation to the sea level – she'd been up and down so many times, she could be deep underground for all she knew.

The darkness didn't help either. There were some lights at the entrance of the cave (little more than bare light bulbs strung from the ceiling, really), where tourists would often go to look, but Leah had long since left those behind, and now she was in total darkness. If she were to close her eyes, it would make absolutely no difference to how much she could see. She was forced to navigate using her D-Gazer and a modified, simplified version of the augmented reality field. The green tint it cast on the cave walls, although paltry, was just about enough to show her the way.

She found herself wondering who could've built a place like this. And why. What could've prompted whatever ancient civilisation had created this place to do so? Why go through all the trouble of scooping out the inside of a mountain, turning it into some sort of colossal labyrinth, and then just leaving it?

She paused in her thoughts as she was forced to clamber around a partially collapsed portion of the tunnel, the boulders just barely made visible by the faint green glow that surrounded her. She knew the answer, of course. There was only one explanation that made any modicum of sense. Something was hidden inside.

That, however, led straight onto another question. What would they hide in a place like this? Two possibilities occurred to her as she leapt down the other side and continued on her way. Firstly, that whatever people had built this place were in possession of something so precious and valuable that they were determined to hide it away from would-be thieves. That thought excited her. She imagined emerging from the cave with this fabulous treasure in tow, being hailed as a hero by archaeologists everywhere, having her name in the papers. She grinned at the idea.

It was certainly nicer to think about than the alternative.

What was really worrying her most was the complete lack of signal. Both her phone and her D-Gazer refused to send or receive and messages at all, owing, no doubt, to the thousands of tons of rock surrounding her on all sides. She'd set up a program on her D-Gazer, which would continuously send the same message every few minutes – a message to her friends and to the Professor, telling them where she was – in the hopes that eventually one of them would get through. It hadn't happened so far, and the more she walked, the less likely it seemed that it would happen at all. She shivered. She had never felt so isolated.

As she made her way forward, something caught her eye as the augmented reality field passed over it. Something shiny. Her curiosity overcoming her trepidation, she knelt down to examine... whatever it was. When the paltry green tint proved too insubstantial, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her mobile phone. Tapping the first button she came to made the screen light up – which, after forty minutes of total darkness, half blinded her – and she turned it to face the thing lying on the floor.

It was a crystal. Or rather, a shard of a crystal. It was a long and thin object, about three centimetres wide and ten centimetres long. At one end it tapered to a sharp point, but the other end stopped abruptly at a jagged edge, as though it had once been part of a much longer crystal, but had been snapped off and just left here. What really stood out to her though was the colour. It was a deep, ruby red colour, and seemed to give off an almost unearthly sheen.

"ONE..."

Leah screamed. The single digit, blazing a bright violet colour, seemed to flare into existence right in front of her face, etching itself into the air right in front of her eyes. Half blinded and terrified, she dropped the crystal and clamped her eyes tight shut. The blazing symbol was only visible for a second, yet even with her eyes closed, the number seemed to linger far longer than it should've, a ghostly image of it burned into her retinas.

Tenderly, she opened her eyes, and saw that everything had returned to normal. There was no glowing number 'one' in front of her. The cave was as dark as ever; in fact, it seemed even darker after that dazzling light. The crystal had fallen to the cave floor and was lying innocently by her shoe. She stared at it suspiciously. Was it the crystal that had caused that flash? Wearily, she pocketed the shard and moved away as quickly as she could, now more determined than ever to find the exit.

Presently, however, she began to notice a change. The augmented reality field, the green glow that was helping her navigate, seemed to be getting darker. No, not darker... it was being tinged with another colour that seemed to be washing out the electric green. Curiously, she reached up and flicked off her D-Gazer. The green tint disappeared, and the tunnel immediately succumbed to darkness.

But not the total darkness of before. Looking around her, Leah could see the walls and floor, outlined and perfectly defined, made visible by a dark red glow... no, she couldn't call it a glow. It wasn't a light. It was like a strange translucent mist that clung to the walls and threw everything into sharp contrast.

"...ZERO..."

Leah recoiled as a second number flashed in front of her. It was the same purple colour as the previous one, and it flared into being with the same blinding light. She moaned and buried her face in her hands, willing the light to go away.

But it was already gone. Less than a second after it appeared, the ethereal symbol had disappeared once again, leaving behind only the memory... and the stars in her eyes which she was now struggling to clear. Angrily, she held the crystal up to her face. "Ok, if you're the one doing this, stop it!" she ordered it.

The crystal exhibited a profound lack of responsiveness.

"Hmph... talking to a rock," she chuckled, pocketing the crystal shard again. "I really must be going insane."

She briefly wondered if her Numbers were attacking her. Perhaps this was Terra Storm's doing. That would make sense; Terra Storm's number was ten, and it was the symbols for 'one' and 'zero' that she'd seen.

'_No… no, that's not right…' _she thought to herself. It couldn't be Terra Storm, it just couldn't be. Terra Storm's number was yellow, not purple. And what's more, she was still wearing her band. None of her Numbers would be able to attack her while she was wearing it. Would they?

A cold shiver passed over her. She pushed onwards.

Now things were getting even brighter. She could see her own hand in front of her face now. The strange foggy stuff seemed to have taken on a deeper, purple hue. She briefly considered turning around, but this was the first time she'd seen anything besides stone and darkness in almost an hour, and besides, her curiosity was overwhelming. She just had to know what lay further ahead.

Her answer came quite suddenly. Ahead of her, looming out of the red and purple mist, was the entrance to a cave. A cave within a cave. As she got closer to it, she saw a row of stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and a line of stalagmites directly below them, which gave the cave's mouth the uncanny likeness of a mouth, filled with long, razor-sharp teeth. Above it, someone had carved two small holes, then two larger holes above those. Nostrils and eyes.

It was the face of a dragon.

Every nerve in her body was telling her to run. Every thought and impulse, screaming at her, begging her to get as far away from this place as possible. For the rest of her life, Leah would never be able to explain exactly why she hadn't heeded her body's warnings and fled. That would've been the smart thing to do. That would've been listening to her survival instincts, to the human's innate desire to run from stress and danger. But she didn't. Even as trepidation filled her, she walked on between the dragon's teeth, and into the heart of the strange, crimson-hued cave.

However, the moment she stepped over the threshold of the cave, she stopped, listening hard. Something was shifting in the darkness at the other end of the cave. Something... colossal.

Suddenly, twenty feet above her, an eye flicked open; a bright red eye that seemed to cut through the darkness like a knife. The creature shifted again, and even with its body hidden in the shadows, Leah began to get a sense of just how big this creature was. Even in its hunched up position, it stood at least seventy feet taller than her, and equally as wide. It seemed to fill the entire cavern with its bulk.

But there was more than just its physical bulk. It seemed to be exuding an aura of pure power the likes of which she'd never felt. Her very skin was tingling. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end. She felt like a rabbit caught under the gaze of a wolf. She couldn't move. She was rooted to the spot, terrified, as this great behemoth glared down at her, daring her to run. The bloodlust she could sense from that stare alone... even Skyler hadn't been this deadly, this eager to kill.

That was the moment that she understood. Whoever had built this cave hadn't done so to guard some fantastic treasures. They hadn't built it to protect material possessions. They'd built it to protect themselves; to seal away this creature where no-one would be in danger from it.

Except, of course, those stupid enough to go looking for it.

She realised that she had to move. She had to get away. This thing was fully awake now, and if it came after her, she would have no chance of survival. Still, she had to try. To stay still, to allow it to size her up and strike while she was petrified, was equally suicidal.

So she took a step back. Then another. Slow, gentle steps. She didn't want to startle it, or give it any reason to attack her. Indeed, it seemed to be working. The dragon made no move to stop her, but just watched her silently as she took one silent step after another. She saw its one visible eye narrow ever so slightly, and let out a tiny whimper. She couldn't help herself. She'd never felt more scared of anything in her life.

But she was doing it. Step by careful step, she was moving out of the cave, away from the monstrous creature staring down at her. Just a little further and she would be out entirely, hidden from sight behind the stalagmites. Just a little further...

"...SEVEN!"

Without warning, one final digit – violet like all the others – flashed in front of her eyes. Leah cried out and uselessly threw up her arms to shield herself.

That was a mistake.

The dragon drew itself up and let out a roar of fury. Leah felt her blood run cold at the very sound of it. It was a high-pitched warbling screech that quickly fell to a rumbling roar; a roar that lingered in her ears for longer than it should have. In one smooth movement, the dragon pushed itself to its feet and smashed its huge body against the roof of the cave. The ground trembled beneath her. Rocks – eerie, red, crystalline rocks – began to fall from the ceiling.

Sneaking was no use now. Abandoning stealth, Leah turned and fled as fast as her feet would carry her. Across the threshold, past the teeth, back into the tunnel she ran. She heard thundering footsteps behind her and quickened her pace. Oh, that thing was terrifying.

Suddenly, there was a huge crash from behind her. The ground shook beneath her feet, and she lost her footing and fell. Gasping, she rolled over and stared back down the tunnel... and what a sight she saw.

The dragon had collided with the stalactites that guarded the cave entrance, and had simply rebounded off them. Whatever those things were carved from, they were sturdy. Very sturdy. So thin, yet strong enough to hold back several tons of dragon... which was now glaring at her in frustration, unable to give chase.

Leah let out a deep sigh. It couldn't follow her now. She'd escaped. She'd done it.

"You shouldn't be here."

She let out a little yelp of fright and scrambled to her feet, away from the source of the voice. As she stood up and turned to face it, she realised that the source was a man. This man was dressed in some sort of purple robe, with a dull-yellow hooded cloak over his shoulders. On his hands he was wearing tight-fitting golden gloves – so tight that it made him look like he had golden skin. Even his face was concealed by a mask.

"I- I'm sorry," she stuttered, trying to compose herself. "I didn't think anyone else was down here. I just wandered in from the beach and got a bit lost, sorry. Are you lost too?"

"No."

"Sorry," Leah said again. She knew that she was overusing the word, and she didn't care. "Then who are you?"

"My name is Misael," the man replied. "And you should not be here."

"I know, I know," she insisted. "But like I said, I just wandered in here and got lost and I don't know how to get out and..." Now that she had started talking, she couldn't stop. "What is that thing?" she asked, pointing at the dragon. "Where did it come from? What's it doing in here?"

"That," Misael replied, "is none of your business."

"Then you do know something," Leah said indignantly. "I almost got killed by that thing, so I deserve some sort of explanation. Can't you tell me anything about it?"

She heard Misael chuckle, the sound distorted by the mask. "Very well then," Misael said. "Then I'll tell you one thing, and one thing only. This dragon..." He paused, and took a few steps past her, so that he was now standing between her and the dragon. "...is mine!"

"Yours?!" Leah gasped.

"That's right!" Misael spun around and gestured at the dragon, which was now watching them both silently. "This is the ultimate dragon. The ultimate Galaxy-Eyes monster. And I am its master!"

"Galaxy-Eyes monster?" Leah repeated. "Just what are you on about?"

"Nothing of any significance to you," Misael replied, lowering his hand. "I suggest you leave now. Go on. Go home."

"And why would I do that after I've finally found what I'm looking for?" Leah asked, feeling her courage returning.

"If you choose not to leave under your own motivation," he replied, "then I'll be more than happy to provide a little motivation for you." The dragon behind him curled its lip up in a snarl.

"Ok, ok." Leah took a tentative step back, her fear returning en masse. "I'll leave, but only if you tell me how."

"How what?"

"How to get out," she explained. "I'm lost down here. I only found this place by mistake, and I don't think I'll be able to find the exit the same way."

"Just walk," Misael told her. "Just keep walking. I'm confident that you'll be able to find the exit."

"And how is that?" she asked.

"I'll make certain of it."

She sighed. She wanted to ask him how. She wanted to ask him about the piece of crystal in her pocket, and the unearthly glow around them, and the weird symbols that had flashed in front of her eyes. Most of all, she wanted to ask him more about the dragon. Somehow, though, she knew it would be futile. The man who called himself Misael was clearly keeping plenty from her, and if he'd wanted to share any of it with her, he would have done so already. She'd tried several times now, and he'd deflected her questions every time bar one... and that response had just raised more questions that than it answered.

Resigned to defeat, she took one last look at the dragon, her heart filled with a weird mixture of wonder and fear, then turned to leave.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Misael called after her. "Are you a duelist?"

Leah turned and nodded. "Of course I am. Are you challenging me?"

"No." It was becoming increasingly apparent just how much of a no-nonsense man Misael was. "Are you familiar with the Numbers?"

"Familiar with them?" she laughed. "I hunt them."

That seemed to catch Misael off guard. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "You're a Number Hunter?" he asked.

"Yep."

"What's your name?"

"Leah."

Misael's eyes widened. "Did you just say Leah?"

"Um, yeah..."

"You're Leah?" he went on. "Member of Team Delta, employee of Professor Usur, and sworn enemy of the 'broken man'? That Leah?"

"That's me," Leah said, suddenly suspicious. "You've heard of me then?"

"Yes," Misael muttered. "And this is all wrong. We've been lax in our vigilance. You should not have been able to find this place so easily."

Leah grimaced. "I wouldn't call the experience easy."

"You were lucky. Most people spend hour upon hour wandering around aimlessly in here. Some people even take their final breathes in these very tunnels." Misael shifted. He seemed to be talking more to himself than her. "This is totally wrong. Gilag and Alit should have spotted this and informed me of it. Have we really been that lax? What else could we have missed? I need to inform Durbe of this... we need to be far more watchful, or events will slip us by..." Suddenly, he became aware of Leah still standing there, staring at him. "Why are you still here? Leave at once!"

As if in response, the great dragon behind him spread its wings and howled at her again. The power in its voice alone sent gusts of wind down the tunnel, ruffling her hair. The dragon's eyes flashed a bright red colour, and in unison, several violet markings appeared along the monster's body, highlighting segments of its armoured skin.

And as Leah turned and ran, she heard the mocking sound of laughter echoing through the caves behind her. Misael watched her flee, laughing at her swift retreat, laughing at her desire to save herself above all sense of honour.

And above all, laughing at her fear.

* * *

**Fun Fact #60: Recognise anyone?**

**Fun Fact #61: We did try our best to recreate Tachyon Dragon's cave, based on the limited screenshots we could garner from Episode 82. That was easy enough. One thing we found a lot harder to recreate was Tachyon Dragon's roar. It has an awesome roar in the anime, but trying to translate that sound to a written medium is pretty difficult.**

**Fun Fact #62: Burning Knuckler **→ **Battlin' Boxer? I just... I don't even... there are no words to describe the stupidity. Konami, please... please stop doing this...**


	17. Part 2: Ch 6

**Keane LP:** 3600

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Cry Havoc!

**Katie LP:** 2600

**Number 91: Flarestormer: Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 200 – 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

"Show yourself! **Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise**!"

A bright yellow number seventy flashed above the field. The curtain of flames parted, and from out of the cinders emerged a giant black skull, almost twice as large as Katie's Number. From the base of the skull, where the neck should be, eight red serpentine heads hung down, waving in the breeze like tentacles, giving the whole construct the look of some sort of demonic octopus. With a whooshing sound, the maelstrom of flames closed in again, wrapping themselves around the skull like some sort of blazing shawl, and coating each of the dragonic heads. Suddenly, with a great cracking sound, the very top of the skull shattered, and a colossal reptilian tail forced its way up and out of the skull, through the wall of dark red flames. It was so wide, and there was so much of it, the spectators couldn't help but wonder how the entire thing had fit inside the skull, when the base of the tail was almost as wide as the skull it had just burst out from. The tail itself was terrifying; red and scaly, with what looked like the blades from a battle axe attached to the tip.

The heads were changing too. As the crimson flames wreathed around them burnt out, segments of armour began to reveal themselves, now being worn by the upside-down heads. Each one was different. A green and gold one here. A black, regal-looking one there. A silver one with a massive blade sticking out of the helmet like some sort of gruesome horn. An orange one with two curved, lethal-looking horns. Every piece shone brightly, and all of them adorned serpentine heads that looked like they could deliver instant death with a single bite. Finally, the skull – which now seemed to be the hydra's chest armour – flipped itself upside down, thus turning the heads the right way up. Each head hissed and screeched and howled, producing a cacophony of sound that shook the very walls. Dark red flames seeped from between their jaws like smoke, contrasting the four comparatively bright red Overlay Units orbiting the colossal creature.

**Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise: Reptile-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 3000/DEF 2900 – 4 OLU**

It wasn't just the size of the thing that made Katie shiver, or the appearance. It was the feel of the thing. It seemed to be a physical manifestation of hatred and fury, an entity created solely to bring misery into the world. It wasn't just scary – it was truly sickening. Right now, it seemed to be the embodiment of Keane himself. In the back of her mind, Katie wondered if this was Keane's original Number...

No, that couldn't be right. Keane's original Number was **Number 94: Matrix Golem**, which Katie had extracted several months back. And she was sure that when she'd done so, there hadn't been any other Numbers possessing Keane. She was sure of it. Besides, Keane's foul mood had cleared up right after she had, so he couldn't have had a second Number on him.

The question, then, was where on earth this thing had come from.

Without giving his enemies time to truly contemplate the horror of the creature that stood before them, Keane dived into his next move, albeit with a slightly more deranged note to his voice. "Battle!" he cried. "Gorvaise, attack Flarestormer, now!" All eight heads opened their gaping jaws wide, and began to charge a ball of fire in each.

Katie responded with the desperation of someone who knew her monster was condemned to destruction, yet was still desperate to cling to her Life Points while she could. "I activate Flarestormer's effect!" she declared. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can boost its ATK once again." The last remaining orb of red light was absorbed into the centaur's chest.

**Number 91: Flarestormer: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"There are five now, so Flarestormer gains 500 ATK."

**Number 91: Flarestormer: ATK 2000 **→** 2500**

"You won't escape damage that way, scum!" Keane cackled. "Gorvaise's effect activates! By detaching up to three Overlay Units from it, I can apply the appropriate effect, depending on the number of Overlay Units detached. For now, I'll just detach one." A single red Unit sailed up out of its orbit, and one of the hydra's heads snatched it hungrily out of the air.

**Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise: 4 **→** 3 OLU**

"With one Unit detached, Gorvaise's first effect is resolved, giving it an additional 600 ATK!"

**Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise: ATK 3000 **→** 3600**

The hydra reared up, drawing itself to its full height, a few of its heads missing the roof by inches. Then, without warning, the hydra launched its attack. Eight streams of fire – dark red and tinted with darkness – shot down from on high at the same moment, engulfing Flarestormer in a blackened inferno of heat and rage. The centaur let out a cry of agony, and exploded with such force that Katie was blasted off her feet, slamming into the opposite wall, her head missing the thick metal hook by inches.

**Katie LP:** 2600 → 1500

James let out a cry of distress and knelt down to tend to his girlfriend's injuries. Dan just stood there, once again dazed and astounded at how powerful the Numbers were. He didn't even try to make himself useful by helping James. He just stared up at the hateful hydra, feeling the fear wash over him, and marvelling at how neither Sonicboom Dragon or Alpha Centauri – two stronger Numbers – had made him feel as scared as this one.

Matt, however, was ignoring all of them. He continued to glare at Keane, and Keane at him, and something seemed to pass between them. A sort of understanding.

"Hey, you alright? Hey!" James pulled Katie into a sitting position, and there she stayed, breathing heavily, staring at Keane with a look of such intense hatred that James was surprised that Keane didn't burn up on the spot. "Katie, calm down," he insisted. "You can't duel like this. You'll just end up hurting yourself."

She ignored him. With an immense effort, she got back to her feet and staggered back to her position. James could only watch her with dismay.

Keane finally broke eye contact with Matt and returned his hateful sneer to her once again. "Still with us are you?" he chuckled. "Good, because I'm not finished torturing you just yet. I end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" Whatever her personal feelings at the moment, Katie was clearly refusing to let them distract her from the duel. "I activate the Spell Card, Bonfire! With it, I can add any Level four or lower FIRE Attribute monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose **Solstice Armoured Mage**." She placed the card in her hand. "I set one monster in Defence Position, then three other cards face-down. Turn end." Her four face-down cards appeared, completely depleting her hand.

Keane snorted. "Hmph, I wonder what you're face-down monster might be..." he said sarcastically. "No matter, it won't survive the next turn, and neither will you! During your End Phase, I activate Gorvaise's effect! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, it gains 600 ATK." Quick as a flash, one of the hydra's heads darted forward and snatched another Overlay Unit out of orbit.

**Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise: 3 **→** 2 OLU**

**Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise: ATK 3600 **→** 4200**

"My turn, I draw!" Keane didn't even glance at the card he'd drawn. "Battle! Gorvaise, attack the face-down monster!" As one, all eight heads began to charge a darkened, fiery energy between their jaws, preparing for an even more lethal attack than before. "Now I activate Gorvaise's effect again!" Keane declared. "But this time, I'll be detaching two Overlay Units!" Sure enough, two heads snapped outwards, chomping down on the monster's last remaining pair of glowing orbs.

**Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise: 2 **→** 0 OLU**

"So what do you get for detaching two of them?" Katie asked apprehensively.

"Damage!" Keane grinned. "By detaching two Overlay Units, Gorvaise can inflict Piercing Damage during this turn."

"No!" Katie gasped.

"Big brother, please..." Esta whimpered. "Please stop this. Don't hurt her..."

"Shut up!" Keane snarled, and Esta gave a little squeak of fright and shied away from him. "Go, Gorvaise! Attack her monster now!" With a howl, the hydra reared up once again. But now, beefed up as it was by its effects, it would push it that little bit further, stretch that little bit higher...

Matt realised what was about to happen seconds before it did, and cried out, "Everyone find cover! Get under the gantry! Quickly!" His team scattered.

Moments later, three of Gorvaise's eight heads smashed into the ceiling.

The entire building shook from the force of the impact, and the ceiling itself was ripped apart by the hydra's armoured skulls. Pieces of wood and tiles, shards of glass, flecks of paint, all thundered to the ground around them. Constrained and tangled as they were by the ropes around their ankles, the boys still managed to make it under the cover of the wooden walkway, which provided protection from the deadly rain. Esta screamed in terror, but she was actually the most protected of them all. Ironically, Keane had chained her to one of the pillars supporting the gantry – the same gantry that now shielded her from the collapsing roof.

Katie, however, was right out in the open, with no chance of making it to cover.

"Katie!" James yelled, as both duelists disappeared behind a cloud of dust and debris. "Katie, no!" Desperate, wild, he made to run out from cover.

Reacting quickly, Matt stepped on James' rope. James felt his foot snag, and before he knew it, he had tumbled to the ground. Thankfully, he remained under the protection of the gantry. "James, stay here!" Matt commanded. "Whatever you do, don't set foot out there."

James rolled over and stared at Matt in disbelief. "Let me go!" he shouted. "We have to help her!"

"You can't," Matt insisted. "You can't go out there. You run out from under here and you'll be killed before you've taken more than a few steps. Even if the roof doesn't get you, that deranged Number will."

"But Katie-"

"She can handle herself," Matt reasoned. Behind him he heard the whoosh of fire, and saw the dust light up a blood-red colour as Gorvaise launched its attack. At his feet, James groaned in anguish. "James, there's nothing you can do for her right now. Just pray that she made it to safety."

James growled at Matt, but said nothing more. Instead, he turned to look into the wall of dust with a desperate longing. He felt so useless. How was he so bad at protecting his girlfriend?

Slowly, tortuously, the dust cleared. Sunlight now streamed straight through the ruined roof, reflecting off the dust particles, and giving the field a hazy look. Keane was still standing there, perfectly unharmed. The bulk of his Number seemed to have protected him from the debris. Esta was also fine. A little shell-shocked, but otherwise uninjured.

Miraculously, however, Katie was likewise unhurt. Just as the giant body of Keane's Number had protected him, its other five heads had also protected Katie. They hadn't meant to, obviously. They just happened to stretch so far over the field that they shielded her from the worst of it.

And thus she was still standing there, panting, holding her arm awkwardly – the arm she'd injured yesterday – and looking as though she was set to murder Keane for endangering everyone. Her field had taken a beating too; there was nothing but a black scorch mark where her Set monster had been. But she was still alive. Still willing to keep dueling.

And, unbelievably, still had Life Points.

**Katie LP:** 1500 → 400

Keane's victorious smirk quickly turned into a frown. "What's happening?" he asked. "What did you do?"

"The monster you destroyed was **Solstice Armoured Mage**," Katie explained. "It has 2000 defence points-"

"Which, when attacked by a 4200 piercer, should have wiped out all the Life Points you had left," Keane snarled. "Yet you're still here. Why?"

"Because of this," she replied simply, removing a card from her Graveyard to show him. "The Trap Card, Damage Diet."

Keane's face fell. "Oh. I see..."

"I chained this card to Gorvaise's effect," Katie went on. "So all damage of any sort I take during this turn is halved. Halve of 2200 is 1100, so I'm still in this."

"Yeah, whatever," Keane sneered. "I end my turn. So go on then. You have two face-downs, 400 Life Points, and no hand. Go ahead. Make some sort of miraculous comeback with nothing but that.

Katie said nothing.

"Oh wait, but you can't, can you?" he laughed. "Because a comeback like that would have to involve a Number in order to get past my Number, and you can't risk using that with Esta so close. You'll end up hurting her just as much as you hurt me." He gave her a wicked grin. "So go on. Let's see how much willpower you have. Let's see if you value her life over your own. Come on, you piece of trash. Make a comeback! Summon a Number! I _dare_ you!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Solstice Armoured Mage  
Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 400/DEF 2000  
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: ●This card's original DEF becomes 2600.

Number 91: Flarestormer  
Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 200  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's Damage Step, when a face-up monster battles: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 of the battling monsters; that target gains 100 ATK for each monster in your Graveyard until the end of the Damage Step.

Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise  
Reptile-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 3000/DEF 2900  
4 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach up to 3 Overlay Units from this card; apply 1 of these effects, depending on the number of Overlay Units detached. ●1: This card gains 600 ATK. ●2: During this turn, this card inflicts Piercing Damage. ●3: During this turn, this card cannot be destroyed by Spell/Trap effects.

* * *

**Fun Fact #63: Get up on the hydra's ba- *SHOT***

**Fun Fact #64: For those of you who were asking, the name Gorvaise has absolutely no significance to anything, ever, at all, regardless. It has no meaning. It's just a random collection of sounds that we decided sounded kind of cool, so we gave the name to Number 70. And for those of you who scoured the internet trying to divine its true meaning... yeah, sorry about that.**

**Fun Fact #65: Konami, please release Bonfire. Pretty please?**

**Fun Fact #66: I can't believe that Konami had the audacity to release Angeneral as a Fairy-Type rather than a Machine-Type. Firstly, it looks so much more like a Machine-Type (absolutely nothing about its appearance suggests it would be a Fairy-Type). Secondly, the coolest thing about a Machine-Type Angeneral was that it would give people something new to mess around with in Wind-Ups. They'd be able to Rank-Up a spent Zenmaines or Zenmaity (traditional) into something with actual structural integrity. Regular Decks could even steal an opponent's Zenmaines with Mind Control, then Rank-Up into Angeneral. All neat little tricks to increase the flexibility of certain Decks. Now we can't do any of these things! Damn you, Konami!**


	18. Part 2: Ch 7

**Keane LP:** 3600

**Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise: Reptile-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 4200/DEF 2900 – 0 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Cry Havoc!

**Katie LP:** 400

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 2 set cards

Katie bowed her head and prayed for a miracle. Frankly, that was the only thing she could see that would get her out of this mess. She hated the fact that saving both Keane and Esta had to come down to the luck of the draw, but she could see no other option.

"Come on," Keane called across the field. "Get on with it already!"

She resisted the urge to shout back. "My turn... draw!" Her fingers shaking, her head filled with apprehension, she flipped over her drawn card.

Monster Reborn.

Her heart sank.

In almost any other situation, that would have been perfect. The turnabout card of the century. Ask any duelist in the world, and most of them would say that top-decking a Monster Reborn when they're about to lose would be like Christmas come early.

Unfortunately for her, drawing that card was basically an instant death sentence. Nothing in either of their Graveyards could overpower the 4200 ATK behemoth in front of her, either by attacking or by its effect. The strongest monster in the Graveyard was Phoenix Gearfired, and the strongest Xyz Monster was Keane's Susanowo or Zan'nin, none of which had the strength to overpower Gorvaise, and none of which could use their effects to take it out either.

Using it defensively wouldn't work either. Assuming he didn't somehow replenish Gorvaise's Overlay Units to recover its piercing effect, all Keane had to do was Summon a monster – any monster with 400 or more ATK – and she would be finished. Even her remaining face-downs, although powerful, were effectively dead. They couldn't be activated under the current circumstances.

She allowed her arm fall limp to her side. This was the end. She'd failed. She couldn't do any more. Across from her she could hear Keane shouting at her, berating her yet again, and she didn't care. She only had eyes for Esta, the poor injured girl chained behind Keane, kidnapped and beaten by the one person who should be protecting her.

Miserably, Katie thought back to the day when Esta had first been dragged into this. The day that she'd been viciously assaulted by a jealous Number holder, who'd put her in the hospital for something she hadn't done. The guilty holder was Katie, of course, but she'd always thought she'd gained some sort of redemption by saving Keane from his Number. That was why she'd become a Number Hunter, wasn't it? To help people.

And yet here she was, face to face with Keane who was once again out of control, and Esta who was once again an injured victim, dragged into all of this not out of choice, but through her relationship with her brother. And she couldn't help either of them. Not this time.

A single tear pricked her eyelid.

"Katie..." James breathed, taking a step towards her. "Please... you have to keep fighting. Please don't give up. Don't-" He felt Matt place a hand on his shoulder and hesitated, glancing around at him.

Matt looked him in the eyes for a moment, then smiled at him – a smile filled not with joy, but with sympathy, understanding, and acceptance – and said, "It's all good, James."

James gaped at him. "You what?!" he whispered. "All good? What do you mean 'all good'?"

"I mean," Matt said, choosing his words carefully, "that this was meant to happen."

"What, like destiny?" Dan asked.

Matt shook his head. "No, there's no such thing as destiny. But there is such a thing... as planning." Without warning, he pushed past James and made his way swiftly towards Katie.

James resisted the urge to cry out in astonishment. "What the hell is he doing?" he gasped.

Keane watched Matt cross the field, but made no move to stop him. Katie, however, lost in despair as she was, didn't even see Matt until he was right beside her. "Matt?" she gasped. "What're you-" She didn't have time to say any more. In one smooth movement, Matt took hold of her arm, pulled it towards him, and slipped the metal band of her wrist.

James cried out in shock. Matt released her arm and stepped back sharply. Keane just stared at the display with growing interest.

And just like that, Matt was once again afforded an outsider's view of a Number holder's descent into chaos.

Katie gasped and turned to look at him, looking half-scared, half-incredulous. "Matt!" she said. "What the... why did you-" Suddenly, she gave a sharp intake of breath as both of her arms lit up like beacons. Ninety-four, twenty-two, thirty-three, fourteen, sixty-one; the glowing runes quickly adorned her skin, and she doubled over, clutching her head in pain as one by one, her Numbers beseeched her. Matt knew what they were doing. He'd seen it once before, and also experienced it for himself on more than one occasion. The Numbers, freed from the influence of the strip of metal that bound them, were latching onto the biggest source of emotion they could find and were feeding off it, expanding it, building on it the way only Numbers could.

And then they found what they wanted. Something way beyond feeling, something far more useful than raw emotion. A desire. More than that, a desperation, a longing to save Esta and stop Keane no matter what. James had been mistaken when he thought she'd given up. Even though she was at the end of her rope, feeling pitiful and helpless, the desire was still there. And now it was growing, expanding past all sense of reason, past all sense of impossibility. Through the chaos and confusion of despair, Katie's biggest desire began to carve a path into the light, until...

Katie stood up straight. A billowing cloud of darkness surrounded her, and the lights on her arm faded from existence, only to be replaced by a single, dark red number ninety-one. And her eyes... they were tinted red and filled with hatred. Hatred that wasn't entirely hers. Hatred not entirely directed at Keane, but rather at what she truly believed was the cause of all this; Keane's Number.

Dan's eyes were wide, staring. "What the hell has he done...?" he breathed. "Why did he think this was a good idea?" James said nothing. He was staring at his girlfriend, descended into the depths of chaos, and now fighting based on demonic instinct rather than kindness. He knew that he'd never forget that image as long as he lived.

"Well," Keane smirked. "This is new."

As if his voice was a trigger, Katie's head snapped down to look at him, and she instantly took the only card left in her hand and placed it on her duel disk. "I activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn! With it, I can revive a monster from either player's Graveyard. Be revived, **Number 91: Flarestormer**!" The crimson number ninety-one flashed across the field as, once again, the fiery centaur took to the field.

**Number 91: Flarestormer: Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 200 – 0 OLU**

Then she reached into her back pocket, and took out a card.

Everyone recognised it immediately. It was a blank card. Most duelists in the world carried a few blank cards around with them – it was mostly based on the old superstition that blank cards could be 'awakened' and take on different forms if the duelist's dueling ascended to new levels. There were stories told about how the legendary duelist Yusei Fudo pioneered the Accel Synchro Summon using exactly that; a blank card that took on its new form when he attained something called 'Clear Mind'. Utter fairy tales, of course, but the tradition had stuck.

Now, however, Matt was starting to buy into that superstition. As he watched Katie's blank card, it suddenly flashed pure white, temporarily blinding him. The light then seemed to peel away, revealing that the blank card was no longer blank. It had a name, an image, stats, an effect, a colour.

A new Xyz Monster was born.

"No way..." Keane breathed. "So it wasn't a lie after all..."

With no visible prompting from Katie, Flarestormer crossed its arms over its chest and seemed to fold in on itself, shrinking down, covering itself in a molten layer of rock which completely encased its body. Within seconds, nothing remained but a molten, pulsating piece of rock in the shape of a V. Its sealed form. Beneath the now-sealed Number, a large, galaxy-shaped portal opened up.

"I use **Number 91: Flarestormer** to reconstruct the Overlay Network!" Katie declared. With deceptive serenity, the volcanic lump of rock descended into the portal, which exploded upwards like a volcano. "Chaos Xyz Change! Arise, **Chaos Number 91: Flarestorm Charger**!"

The bright red number ninety-one on the back of her hand shattered, then reformed in a darker, pulsating form. Likewise, the piece of volcanic rock that rose out of the portal was a much darker red, even tinged with purple, with tiny blue flames flickering over its surface like candles. With a sound like a mountain being ripped asunder, the giant V-shaped boulder shattered, showering the field with embers and charred rocks. The centaur that emerged from the molten prison had undergone a similar change. Its armour, originally insubstantial, now covered a larger portion of its body, and was a deep, pitch-black colour as opposed to the rusty silver from before. Now it was like staring into pure obsidian. The body itself was still constructed from lava, but the appearance it had assumed seemed to be more muscular in the chest, arms, and all four legs. It was also pulsating – growing dimmer and then glowing with molten radiance – as if in time to a heartbeat. Its wings, bat-like and leathery, were now huge; each one was larger than the centaur's entire body. The centaur was still weaponless, but its gauntlets were now coated with spikes around the knuckles, and along the top of the arm right up to the shoulder, meaning the monster could deliver myuch more deadly charges. A single red orb traced circles around the monster's substantially larger physique.

**Chaos Number 91: Flarestorm Charger: Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 200 – 1 OLU**

In a true display of manliness, James let out a tiny whimper at the sight of the creature.

Dan, however, was staring at Matt. Their leader didn't seem to be fearful of the new Number, or weary of the fact that he was standing a mere few feet from it. Quite the opposite, he seemed almost pleased to see it. An observation that Matt confirmed seconds later.

Matt nodded with something close to satisfaction, and muttered "That should be enough," under his breath. Then, fearlessly, he stepped forward and pressed the cold metal of Katie's band back into the palm of her hand.

The change was instantaneous. The crimson and purple aura that surrounded her dispersed, the red tint in her eyes disappeared, and she gasped and staggered forward as the massive influence over her mind vanished. The Chaos Number behind her shuddered shook its head, as though being placed under a spell; which, in a way, it was. Katie turned to look at Matt, her eyes wide, her breath coming in short gasps, and her eyes silently asking the same question over and over. Why?

"Welcome back, Katie," Matt smiled.

Katie stared at him, then snatched her band from him and slipped it back onto her wrist. "You... why did... you took this, and-"

"And then I gave it back," Matt finished. "I've just helped you unlock a new power, so the least you could do is smile and be grateful for it."

Katie shook her head in disbelief, but there was a grin on her face. "Matt, when in the hell did you come up with that idea?" She held up a hand. "Actually, you can tell me afterwards. First... well, first I need to finish what I started." Turning away from Matt, she faced Keane head on, who was suddenly looking rather nervous. "I need to rescue Esta."

"Um, Katie-" Matt began, but Katie was already away.

"I activate Flarestorm Charger's effect!" she declared. "Once per turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can have it gain 200 ATK for every monster in my Graveyard. And as an added bonus, all of your monsters lose 200 ATK for every monster in your Graveyard." The centaur took a single lethal slash at its Overlay Unit, cleaving it in two.

**Chaos Number 91: Flarestorm Charger: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"I have Pyromancer, Gearfried, Woodland Archer, Gemini Scorpion, Armed Mage, Armoured Mage, and Flarestormer in my Graveyard, making a total of seven monsters. Seven times 200 is 1400, so Flarestorm Charger gains that many attack points." An inferno of pure fire surrounded the centaur, upping its ATK.

**Chaos Number 91: Flarestorm Charger: ATK 2000 **→** 3400**

"And in your Graveyard you have Susanowo, Vorse Raider, Zan'nin, Warwolf, Artorigus, Andal, and **Kagutsuchi**. That's seven, so your monster loses 1400 ATK." The same whirlwind of flames engulfed the massive hydra, but instead of basking in its increasing power, Gorvaise thrashed about as its strength was sapped away by the intense heat.

**Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise: ATK 4200 **→** 2800**

"Hey, Katie..." Matt said again. "I really think you should-"

"Hush Matt," she interrupted. "Battle! Flarestorm Charger, destroy Gorvaise!" With a wild shout, the burning Chaos Number charged at Gorvaise and smashed into it with the force of a building. The hydra's eight heads each let out a terrible screech and thrashed around desperately, trying to escape their agony. But they were helpless, and a second later the entire monster exploded, showering fire across the field and throwing Keane off his feet.

**Keane LP:** 3600 → 3000

Katie nodded, grinning. She was glad that Matt had done what he did – getting her the Chaos Number this way – but she was even more grateful that he'd restored her. Now she could think clearly again. And now she could see that her Trap Cards could be useful in a way they hadn't been before.

"Alright," she said, raising her hand. "I activate the Trap Card, **Xyz Vengeful Soul**!" Her Trap Card activated.

"Hey, I remember that," James gasped, finally calming down somewhat now that he was sure that Katie was back to her old self.

"You should," she replied. "I used it against Leah only a few weeks ago." She turned back to Keane. "With this card, when one of my Xyz Monsters destroys one of yours by battle, this card deals you damage equal to half your monster's ATK, then recovers my Life Points by the same amount." Two bolts of energy shot out of Keane's duel disk. The first one struck him, damaging him further, whereas the other one entered Katie's duel disk, causing it to light up a bright green.

**Keane LP:** 3000 → 1500

**Katie LP:** 400 → 1900

"Katie, please wait," Keane said, struggling to get to his feet.

"Hush Keane," Katie snapped. "You won't want to miss this bit."

Confused, Keane glanced behind her at the Chaos Number, which had since retreated back to her side. The spectators did likewise. As they continued to watch; a single crack appeared on the monster's chest, a jagged line of white traced across the black-armoured skin. More cracks joined the first, covering the monster's entire body. Finally, with one last pained cry, the Chaos Number exploded violently.

"What was that?" James asked. "What just happened?"

"I'd quite like to know that as well," Keane added, equally confused. "This wasn't Gorvaise's doing. Did your Number do that to itself?"

"Yes. It's the 'stipulation' of the Chaos Numbers," Katie explained. "Chaos Numbers can only exist on the field while their controller has less than 1000 Life Points. Any more than that, and it destroys itself on the spot."

Keane's eyes narrowed. "And you allowed that to happen because...?"

"Easy. Because it means I win," Katie said curtly. "I activate the Counter Trap Card, **Flashover**!" Her final set card flipped up. "With this, when one of my FIRE monsters is destroyed by a card effect, I can banish the destroyed monster in order to deal damage to you equal to its ATK." No sooner had it entered the Graveyard, her new Chaos Number was taken out and banished.

Suddenly, Katie's Trap Card exploded outwards in a blast of fire that covered the field with a fantastic speed. The wall of flames passed harmlessly over her, but Keane caught the worst of it, and cried out as the last of his Life Points went up in smoke.

**Keane LP:** 1500 → 0

* * *

Author-made cards:

Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise  
Reptile-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 3000/DEF 2900  
4 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach up to 3 Overlay Units from this card; apply 1 of these effects, depending on the number of Overlay Units detached. ●1: This card gains 600 ATK. ●2: During this turn, this card inflicts Piercing Damage. ●3: During this turn, this card cannot be destroyed by Spell/Trap effects.

Number 91: Flarestormer  
Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 200  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's Damage Step, when a face-up monster battles: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 of the battling monsters; that target gains 100 ATK for each monster in your Graveyard until the end of the Damage Step.

Chaos Number 91: Flarestorm Charger  
Pyro-Type/Xyz/FIRE/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 200  
3 Level 4 FIRE monsters OR 1 "Number 91: Flarestormer"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; until the End Phase, this card gains 200 ATK for each monster in your Graveyard, also all face-up monsters your opponent currently controls lose 200 ATK for each monster in your opponent's Graveyard.

Xyz Vengeful Soul  
Trap Card  
When an Xyz Monster you control destroys an opponent's Xyz Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the destroyed monster's original ATK in the Graveyard, then gain the same amount of Life Points.

Flashover  
Counter Trap Card  
When a face-up FIRE monster that is the only monster you control is destroyed by a card effect and sent to your Graveyard: You can banish it from your Graveyard; inflict damage to your opponent equal to the banished monster's ATK. You can only activate 1 "Flashover" per turn.

* * *

**Fun Fact #67: And thus, Katie actually has a useful main Number now. Well done her.**

**Fun Fact #68: We probably could've ended the duel with something like Call of the Haunted, another Birthright, Xyz Double Back, or Backdraft instead of Flashover (hell, Backdraft would've been easier, as it would eliminate the need for Xyz Vengeful Soul). But we really wanted a thematic ending where we address the Chaos Number's weakness (something the anime has yet to do in much depth), and show off Katie's ability to improvise with specialised cards like that. Plus, Flashover has been on our 'To Use' pile for a while now, and we just wanted to get it out there. For those who are wondering, a flashover is a very sudden, usually very violent ignition of the combustible material(s) in an area. It was designed as a counterpart to Backdraft.**

**Fun Fact #69: Blank cards... hmm... now there's a theme that the anime hasn't really addressed in significant depth. Yugi gained his Legend of Heart card from a blank card. Yusei's Shooting Star Dragon and Shooting Quasar Dragon both seem to appear on a blank card (which then turns blank again after the duel is done... no idea why that happens). Super Polymerization and (presumably) all the cards it created (Super Fusion God; Rainbow Neos; Neos Wiseman; Colourless, Chaos King of Dark World) appear on blank cards. Then there's the Duel Dragons, and Arcana Force EX - The Light Ruler, and Red Nova Dragon. Regular Numbers do seem to appear out of nowhere, but they still appear as ****blank card**s first until they take a true form. Also, all Chaos Numbers apparently come from blank cards. All important plot points, yet the anime never really broaches the subject.  



	19. Part 2: Ch 8

**Keane LP:** 1500 → 0

**Katie LP:** 1900 [WINNER]

A buzzer went off, signalling the end of the duel, and both duelists' remaining cards faded from sight as the augmented reality descended around them. Katie breathed a sigh of relief and, acting on instinct, raised her arm to point at Keane's downed body. The strip of metal around her wrist lit up like a beacon.

"Keane..." she muttered, as she mentally prepared to begin the extraction process. "Sorry I have to do this again."

Suddenly, Matt reached out and placed his hand on hers, pushing her arm down to point at the ground. The light around her wrist disappeared. "There's no need for that," Matt said calmly.

Katie looked at him, confused. "What do you mean 'no need'?" she asked. "We have to get the Number out of him before he wakes up."

Matt shook his head. "Nope, no need to do that."

"Why not?"

"Well, you see..." Matt said, apparently considering something. "Alright," he said finally. "Time to come clean, I guess."

Now Katie was thoroughly lost. "Come clean? Just what are you going on about Matt?"

Without answering, Matt turned to face the Maxwell siblings. "Alight Keane," he called. "I think we've kept this going long enough."

"Man, am I glad for that," Keane replied, pushing himself upright. "I was getting bored of this charade."

"Charade?" Katie repeated. "What... I don't... you-"

"Keane, would you be so kind as to show Katie your wrist?" Matt asked. Keane nodded and raised his right arm up for all to see. Something on his wrist caught the dusty beams of light still streaming down from above, casting reflections against the walls. Something shiny. A bracelet of some sort.

No...

No, it couldn't be...

But it was.

It was a metal band, just like hers.

Katie's mouth dropped open in shock as she recognised it. Dan's eye's widened. James swore. All of them were thinking the exact same thing, and a second later, James vocalised their thoughts.

"What the actual hell?!" he cried. "Where did you get that?"

"From me," Matt said.

Katie turned to face him, disbelief etched into every line of her face. Matt gazed back at her, grinning. A moment's silence passed, before Katie took a deep breath and said, "Ok Matt, you'd better start explaining what's going on, or I'm going to start punching things!"

"It was while you were dueling that other Number holder," Keane spoke up, picking himself off the ground. "Matt gave me a call this morning explaining the situation, and asked me to meet him in that food shop. When two of you went to get lunch for everyone, you separated and went into different shops - James, you went one way, while Matt went the other. Once you'd separated, Matt gave me another call, and I met him there. We spent a while chatting about our plan, then he-"

"So that's what took you so long!" James gasped. "You set up a secret meeting, didn't you?"

Matt nodded. "Yes. And after we were finished, I gave him one of our spare bands plus one of my Numbers, and he went off to finish preparing for our plan."

"What plan?" Dan began to ask, but Katie spoke over him.

"Number 70!" she gasped. "So Number 70 wasn't his? It was yours?!"

"Well, sort of," Matt replied. "It was one of the Numbers we took from Skyler in that last duel."

Katie's eyes widened. "From Skyler?"

"No no, hang on a sec," James said. "All the Numbers you took from Skyler... you gave all of those to Dan. I saw you- we all did. You put the entire pile in his hand."

"Who says it was the entire pile?" Matt asked pointedly. "Did you actually know which cards we got from Skyler? Did any of you?" He glanced at Katie and Dan, and both of them shook their heads. "Exactly. You're all familiar with my Numbers, so I had to give Keane a Number that none of you had ever seen before. Fortunately, Skyler just gave me a fresh supply of new Numbers. So I gave most of the Numbers to Dan, but I held one of them back to give to Keane."

"But why?" Katie asked, exasperated. "You still haven't told us why! What was this big plan of yours? What were you trying to do?"

"Create a Chaos Number," Matt said simply.

Silence befell the warehouse.

"Create a Chaos Number?" Katie repeated slowly. "Ok Matt, this is the part where you elaborate."

Matt nodded, and took another deep breath before continuing. "I'm not really sure how I got the idea," he started. "It just kind of came to me, like a moment of inspiration. I was thinking about how our team is doing so badly in the war, about how powerful Skyler is, and about how easily the Chaos Numbers dispatched him; both Leah's and Doctor Lithon's. And then I thought that if we were able to create Chaos Numbers by pushing our emotions over the edge – contrary to what Lithon said – could we do it again? Because if we could, that would be an amazing power boost for our team. It started as like a wild fantasy – a scrap of unformed thought – but it quickly grew and I found myself thinking 'Hey, we've already done it twice. We could totally do it again.'"

Keane was listening to Matt telling his story, grinning. He knew which part was coming next. Behind him, Esta craned her head to hear what was going on.

"So I had the idea formed," Matt went on. "My next thought was who would be the one to upgrade their Number. Leah and I had already done it, so the remaining choices were James, Dan, and you. Dan can't duel, and James isn't much better, so it had to be you."

"Hey!" James said indignantly. "I resent that."

"You may resent it, but it's still true," Dan pointed out. James grumbled loudly, but didn't push the argument.

"Anyway," Matt continued. "The next issue was the biggest one: how do I do it? How can I push your emotions far enough over the edge to initiate a Chaos Xyz Change? Well, firstly, I knew that your opponent couldn't be one of us – it had to be someone who could force a deep emotional surge in you via a duel, like Skyler did to Leah. Secondly, I knew that I had to keep you ignorant about it." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry about that, but if you'd known what was going on your emotions wouldn't be real. You'd be distracted, constantly thinking about the task rather than allowing your emotions to take hold."

Katie said nothing. She just stared intently at him, waiting for him to continue.

Matt chuckled. "There was only choice really. There's only one person I've seen you get really emotional about while dueling. There's only one person I know of who's managed to make you cry with words alone."

"Keane..." she breathed.

Matt nodded, and Keane took a step forward. "I'll take it from here," he called across the room. "When Matt contacted me, he told me about these Chaos Number things and how they work, and he asked for my help. He asked me to create a scenario which would somehow push your emotions over the edge, but without you realising what was going on." He grinned, and for once, there was no trace of malice in his face. "I think I did a pretty good job. Don't you?"

"But... but-" Katie stuttered, pointing at the pillar behind him. "You... and Esta... she... and you hurt... she was..."

Keane laughed – a true, happy laugh for once – and turned to Esta. "Alright, little princess," he grinned. "Show's over."

Esta giggled and stepped away from the pillar. To Katie's astonishment, the chains didn't stop her. They came with her! They hadn't actually been holding her against the pillar – they were loosely hung around her and draped over a single nail hammered into the wood. Esta shrugged her shoulders, and the chains fell to the ground useless.

"I- BWUH?!" James gasped.

"My sentiments exactly..." Dan breathed.

Keane and Esta both laughed at the row of surprised faces. "It's ok," Esta said. "I was safe the whole time. Keane tied me loose enough that I could run away if things got really bad."

"But he hit you!" Katie cried. "He pulled your hair; he stamped on your foot! We all saw it!"

"What you see and what's actually happening are often two very different things," Matt said cryptically.

"I was pretending," Esta went on, smiling. "I'm the best in my school's drama class- well, second best. I can do pained screams really well though. I always get top marks."

"But-" Katie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But you have a bruise! Where he hit you in the face – that bruise. What's that?"

By way of response, Keane reached out to his sister's cheek, took hold of something, and pulled away. Amazingly, the bruise seemed to 'peel' away with it. "Another fake," Keane explained, holding it out to show them. "Something I picked up in a party shop. Clear piece of sticky plastic with a fake bruise printed on it. I simply made a clapping noise, a quick movement with my hand, and viola. Instant bruising."

To demonstrate, he turned to Esta and, without warning, smacked her across the face. Esta screamed, and Katie cried out in horror... but a second later Esta was standing upright, grinning from ear to ear, the fake bruise neatly attached to her left cheek.

Katie stared at the two of them. Then at Matt. Then back at Esta. Then down at her duel disk. She just didn't know what to think or feel.

"Keane asked me to help," Esta said, peeling the bruise off again. "He said that we were trying to help you do something important, and while I don't know exactly what that is, I wanted to help you in any way I could now I'm out of the hospital." She looked at Katie hopefully. "So did we help?"

Katie said nothing.

"See that's the thing," Keane went on. "Esta was part of this plan – she was deceiving you, same as us. So if you want to be angry at me and Matt, then you have to be angry at her too. And, well..." He turned to look at his sister. "...can you really be angry at a face like that?"

There was a pause as everyone waited to see Katie's reaction. No-one spoke. James was barely breathing.

Finally, she sighed. "Yeah, I suppose I can't really be mad at any of you, can I?" she smiled. "After all, you all helped me get a Chaos Number – even though it was no fun doing it – and no-one actually got hurt. So..." She glanced around at the three perpetrators. "...yeah, I forgive you."

James breathed a sigh of relief. Matt nodded solemnly, trying to pretend he hadn't been scared to death about Katie's reaction.

Keane clapped his hands together. "Well, that settles that then. Now for this." He held out a hand to his duel disk, which immediately spat a single card into his palm. **Number 70: Crimson Hydra Gorvaise**. "Here you are," he said, holding it out to Katie. "Your prize. You've earned it."

Katie smiled and took the card, and in that moment, a current of understanding seemed to flow between them. He was no longer a bloodthirsty rival intent on tearing her limb from limb, and she was no longer a husk of pain and guilt after what she'd done in the past. They might not ever see eye to eye, him and her, but they were comrades – duelists who'd forged a bond while dueling. Keane had seen how fiercely Katie had fought to save Esta, and although he never mentioned it to her, he would never forget that feeling.

As she pocketed the card, Keane turned to Matt and slipped the metal band off his wrist. "And this is yours," he said, holding it out. "How many of these things do you have spare, anyway?"

"Quite a few," Matt replied. He reached out to take the band, but then, compelled by another idea, he took his hand away. "Actually," he said, "how about you keep that? There are Numbers infesting this entire city – you never know when you might have need of it."

"True that," Keane muttered, closing his fingers around the cold strip of metal. "Well, if you're sure, then ok. I'll keep it safe."

"Keep it close by," Matt told him. "Slip it on if you see an opponent acting weirdly. And if you do happen to capture a Number, be sure to let us know."

"We will," Esta smiled. "I'll make sure he doesn't lose it."

"Oh right, because you've never lost anything, have you?" Keane said, swiping her affectionately across the ear.

"Never!" Esta said proudly. "Name one thing I've lost."

"Off the top of my head, oh, I dunno," Keane laughed. "Your memories?"

Dan's eyes widened. "What?"

Keane glanced at him. "Don't worry about it. Long story for another day," he said simply. Then he turned to Matt and Katie. "Well, it's been fun-"

"Fun is not the first adjective I would use to describe today!" Katie said indignantly.

"True," Keane laughed, and Katie found herself laughing too. "Still, me and Esta are here for you. We helped you today, and we'll help you again if it'll help get rid of those damn Numbers faster. So if you need our help with anything, anything at all, do let us kn-"

Suddenly, the door to the warehouse slammed open. Everyone turned to face the intruder... and there stood Leah, panting and dusty, staring at the scene of devastation that surrounded her.

"Oh, hey Leah," James said. "Took you long enough to stop messing around in those caves. You missed one hell of a crazy day."

"Oh, I don't know," Leah said, trying to catch her breath. "I'm pretty sure my day was crazier."

* * *

**Fun Fact #70: And thus, all is revealed. Mostly.**

**Fun Fact #71: The more attentive of you may have noticed several clues foreshadowing this plot twist; the fact that Matt extracted ten Numbers from Skyler but only gave Dan nine of them, the fact that his reaction to seeing the tenth Number and Katie's reaction to seeing Gorvaise was pretty much identical, the fact that Matt never showed any sort of surprise in the lead-up to Keane's duel, Matt's strange behaviour after Katie's Number evolved, and the fact that Keane's actions in the last few chapters isn't consistent with the behaviour he showed the last time he was possessed - more than that, it was practically the opposite.**

**Fun Fact #72: The concept for this story has been around almost as long as the Chaos Numbers themselves have. We designed the general idea ages ago, we just hadn't decided quite how to get it started until recently. We had plenty of ideas; Keane ambushing them in the park, Keane stepping out in front of their taxi, Keane calling them to the hospital, the Deltas going home after a hard days Number hunting to find Keane waiting for them in their kitchen (that one would actually have been pretty cool), but instead we settled on this. Hope it was vaguely enjoyable.**

**Fun Fact #73: So, while browsing the manga for ideas and other interesting concepts we can use, we can across something called a Trap Field Monster. Yeah... wrap your head around that one.**


	20. Part 3: Ch 1

"Good morning, James."

"Ah, morning Leah."

"Any news yet?"

"Nope. Still waiting for my laptop to start up."

"Oh... can't you make it start up any fast-"

"No, I can't. Stop asking me."

It was late morning, several weeks after the Delta's encounter with Keane and Esta. They'd gotten very little done in the intervening time – although Leah had managed to capture a new Number from someone, **Number 49: Dream Slayer** – and they were now sitting at home, waiting for the alarm to go off.

Leah was impatient for James' computer to come on simply because she was hopeful. Every day, without fail, the team would tune into the local news station, hoping against hope that Deiana – the woman with the healing Number – had finally returned to the city. Every passing day made it seem a little less likely. Although their dared not voice their fears, they couldn't help but contemplate the worst; what if another Number Hunter had gotten to Deiana first? What if Skyler or Lithon had taken her Number, or even someone else they'd never heard of? If that had happened, they'd never get a hold of it. The thought was making everyone more and more apprehensive.

Everyone was passing the morning in their own way. Katie was whipping up breakfast which, while therapeutic, made her feel sad that she was doing it alone yet again. Dan, the one who usually helped her, was sitting up the dinner table, staring at his cards and desperately wishing he still knew how to use them. And Matt was sitting on the sofa, reading a magazine and trying to pretend that he wasn't worried about the future.

Meanwhile, James and Leah were also sitting opposite each other at the dining table, a little way along from Dan. And Leah was still pestering him.

"Is it on yet?" she said impatiently.

"Yes," James said. "It's just installing an update."

"Seriously, now?" she said. "Can't you make it go faster?"

"No Leah," he replied in exasperation. "It's a computer. You have to give it time."

She huffed and sat back in her chair. A brief hull in the conversation followed, then she said, "Hey James."

"Hmm?"

"Once we've checked the news station, would you mind doing another search? You know, for people named Misael?"

James sighed. "Leah, we've done about eight of these searches in the past week. I'm telling you, there's no-one named Misael living in this city, near this city, or who's ever visited this city. At least, no-one prominent enough to be mentioned anywhere."

"I just don't get it," Leah mused. "How can someone like him just go completely unnoticed? He looks and sounds... different somehow, I don't know. I'd go so far as to say that he didn't really feel human to me. How can people not notice that?"

"Hmm," James agreed. "You know who that reminds me of? That guy we saw going into the Professor's office that one time. The guy in the cloak. What was his name...?"

"Durbe?" Leah suggested.

"That's it," James nodded. "I can't really describe it, but he just felt different. He sort of exuded menace, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," Leah nodded.

"And I still say you're being paranoid James," Matt said, closing his magazine and turning to join the conversation. "Sure he was dressed weird, but that's no reason to accuse someone of being shady."

"What about me though?" Leah argued. "I was attacked by a giant dragon, then that Misael guy claimed to be its owner. You can't tell me that's not shady."

Matt was about to reply, but a second later James' computer pinged, telling him the update was done. "Finally," he muttered, and tapped a few keys to take him straight to the bookmarked news site. Leah and Matt watched James, while James watched the computer screen, reading the first few headlines that were featured on the homepage.

His eyes widened.

"What?" Leah asked. "What is it? What?"

James looked up at them. "I think you should take a look at this..." he said, and just from the tone of his voice, they knew it wasn't going to be good news. He flipped the laptop around to show them the screen, where one of the headlines was already highlighted.

_"MIRACULOUS NURSE GOES MISSING"_

_"Deiana Oeneoglou, a 23-year-old nurse and minor celebrity owing to her world-renowned abilities, has disappeared from her home earlier today. The miracle-worker returned to the city late last night, and was seen returning to her home, with nothing out of the ordinary. However, the next morning camera crews arrived to find her front door blown to pieces and her home ransacked. Police are treating this as a kidnapping, and are urging anyone with information regarding the disappearance to come forward… Read more."_

Leah and James stared at each other.

"She's back," James breathed.

"And missing," Leah agreed. "Someone – whether it be a crazed fan, a Number Hunter, whatever – must have found her. So now she's somewhere in the city, either hiding or already defeated."

"Man, I hope it isn't Skyler that found her," James muttered, showing a rare touch of compassion for a woman he'd never met. Leah suspected that Skyler's actions as of late had softened James, making him feel more concerned about Skyler's victims.

"What're you both muttering about?" Matt asked, standing up from the sofa.

"I was just going to ask that," Katie added. "I can hear that from all the way over here."

Without a word, James beckoned them closer and, together with Dan, the three of them sat down to read the article. It took no more than twenty seconds to read the whole thing, but the kids still took their time reading and re-reading it, to make sure their eyes weren't deceiving them.

Matt swore and stood up. "Everyone, gather you gear right now! Move!" There was a mad scramble as everyone leapt up to obey, driven mostly by the note of fear they'd heard in his voice.

Well, three of them did. Dan, however, grabbed Matt as he went past and said, "Hey, Matt, what're we doing?"

"We're going after that healing Number," Matt explained. "I don't care about the Professor's orders right now, or how strong Skyler is, or how big the city is. All that matters is getting that Number – come hell or high water – before someone else does. This is the best time to do it too; an opportunity to find and duel her when she isn't surrounded by cameras."

"I see..." Dan still looked doubtful. "But how are we going to find her?"

"We'll split up," Matt said. "You should stay with Leah since you can't duel in your condition, but that notwithstanding, we'll cover more ground searching separately than staying together."

"Ok, but do I really need my equipment for this?" Dan asked. "It's not like it'll be much use to me anyway."

Matt considered this for a moment, but then shook his head. "No, take it anyway," he said. "You never know; if this goes according to plan, you could have your memory back by the end of the day."

Dan grinned. "I sure hope so."

With a curt nod, Matt said, "Me too. Now go grab your stuff. We've got a lot of ground to cover, and very little time to do it in. We need to get cracking."

*MEANWHILE*

Doctor Lithon stared at the screen in front of him. "A healing Number," he muttered. "A Number with the ability to heal humans of their physical and spiritual damage... how very intriguing. Have you ever heard of such a thing Kodoku?"

"No sir," the boy replied, peering over the man's shoulder but not really understanding what he was seeing. The Doctor's charts always just looked like a bunch of lines to him.

"This sort of behaviour is unprecedented in a Number," he went on. "The inner beliefs and desires of that girl must have been extremely powerful to have caused such a phenomenon. I must find its location, and quickly."

"Why sir?" Kodoku asked.

"Can't you guess, boy?"

Kodoku thought for a second. "Because you want to study it and learn how you can use its powers?"

"Not quite," Lithon chuckled, "although that certainly is a part of it. No, while I am interested in getting the Number, I'm actually more interested in finding out where its owner currently is. Any idea why that might be, Kodoku?"

"Um..." Kodoku racked his brain. "No sir, sorry."

"It's because of what else I might find there," Lithon explained. "Or _whom_ else I might find there. Understand?"

Kodoku shook his head.

"Think boy. Who else do we know of that are also seeking the Numbers? Who else will have been formulating a plan to capture this Number ever since it became public knowledge? Who is it that we're really – and I mean _really_ – looking forward to running into again?"

The young protégé gasped. "You mean-"

"I do indeed," Lithon said, a grin splitting his face. "Go and prepare yourself boy. It's time we paid your old friends from Team Delta one last little visit."

*SOME TIME LATER*

"Bah!" James growled. "The hell am I doing here?"

It was standing on the pavement of a dirt track, staring across a field at a children's playground, now empty since all the kids were at school. When the Deltas had separated, he'd volunteered to search around this area. Now though, it was feeling more and more like a waste of time. The others were all searching in public places, and if Deiana was hiding, surely that's where she would be; hidden from her deadly pursuers by a crowd of people. Not sitting out here in the open.

The playground backed onto a housing estate, and James viewed that as a much more promising prospect. A public area, somewhere that she would feel safer. And somewhere that he had a much better chance of finding her. So he traipsed off across the grass, dragging his feet, and dreading the prospect of more searching. He'd only been at it for half an hour or so, yet it felt like forever.

Quite suddenly, however, he saw a female figure stagger out from between two houses. She was dressed plainly in jeans and a t-shirt, and seemed to be half-drunk in the way she moved. She leant against the fence of the playground and sagged, panting and shuddering. James gasped. The woman – for he could clearly see now, it was a woman – had pale skin, and blonde hair hanging bedraggled over her face. Her clothes were different, she seemed more haggard, and she had a duel disk strapped to her arm that hadn't been there before, but he still recognised her.

It was Deiana. And she was definitely in trouble.

"Hey!" James called, starting to run towards her. "You alright?"

The woman glanced at him, then pushed herself away from the fence and began to stagger over to him, muttering something under her breath.

James stopped a little distance away from her. He was weary of this woman, and he didn't understand why. She was clearly in distress, in dire need of help, yet he still felt the need to be cautious of her. He pushed a button on his D-Gazer – he had a pre-set message ready, one which would tell the others that he'd found Deiana, and would give them his current coordinates so they could find him.

"You alright?" he repeated. "What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

Deiana continued to come closer, her eyes locked with his. "Help me..." she muttered. It was so quiet that James didn't catch it at first. But she was repeating it, over and over again, louder each time, "...help me... help me..."

"Help you?" James repeated. "Well, um... what's wrong?"

"...help me..." Without warning, she held out her right arm and activated her duel disk. "...help me..." She moved closer.

James took a step back. "Um, ma'am, what's wrong with you?"

She raised her head. Her thick fringe fell back, exposing her forehead. On it was a symbol; the number seventy-two, blazing a pure white.

"...help me..."

*SOME TIME LATER*

Summoned by James' message, the four remaining Deltas hurried to where James was as quickly as they could. They'd actually convened on the way there, and were now discussing what was actually happening, since James was refusing to answer his calls.

"He might be dueling her for the Number," Leah said, trying to comfort Katie, who was going out of her mind with worry. "He's probably just wrapped up in things and hasn't noticed the messages yet."

"Either that, or he's dueling Skyler for the Number," Dan suggested.

"Not helping Dan!" Leah snapped.

"It's just through here," Matt called, darting through a hole in the hedge. The others followed on close behind... and were met with a nasty sight. The duel had clearly just finished, as the monsters on the field will still just fading away. The scoreboard, which disappeared a split second after the monsters did, made them all stop and stare.

**James LP:** 4000

**Deiana LP:** 12900 [WINNER]

"Eh?" Leah gasped. "How did Deiana get so many Life Points?"

"Forget that," Matt breathed. "I want to know how James lost. He hasn't lost a single Life Point."

Katie, however, didn't care about any of this. With a cry of anguish, she ran over to James, who was lying in the grass, unconscious. With shaking hands, she felt for his pulse. It was there, but weak. Very weak. With fury in her eyes, she glared up at the possessed nurse. "You... what the hell did you do to him? Because if you've hurt him, I swear I'll-"

"Help me..." Deiana pleaded, swaying on her feet, her voice little more than a whisper. "Please... help me..."

* * *

Author-made cards:

Number 49: Dream Slayer  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2450/DEF 1700  
3 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 banished card; shuffle that target into the Deck. During either player's turn: You can banish this face-up card. If a monster(s) you control is destroyed while this card is banished by this effect: You can pay 500 Life Points; Special Summon this card.

* * *

**Fun Fact #74: You didn't really expect us to exclude Lithon from this story, did you? The very title of the story is 'Chaos'. This is his game now.**

**Fun Fact #75: We included Dream Slayer's stats in this chapter because we have no idea if it'll ever see the light of day after this Chapter. We didn't include Number 72's stats because we know perfectly well that it definitely will see the light of day. Soon.**

**Fun Fact #76: Deiana's last name 'Oeneoglou' isn't just a random collection of letters. It's a Greek name (since Deiana's first name was derived from Greek mythology). We took it from a combination of Oeneus (****Deïanira**'s father, since Greek names are inherently patronymic) and -oglou (the suffix used to denote a Greek family originating from Anatolia). I won't lie - this was very difficult. We're a lot better with Japanese than we are with Greek, so we've probably written that name very poorly. If anyone does have enough experience with Greek to notice any mistakes, do feel free to drop a review explaining where we went wrong, and we'll correct it as soon as possible. Oh, and to the Greek readers out there, sorry for butchering your language.


	21. Part 3: Ch 2

"Help you?" Katie repeated, standing up. "No way! After what you did to James, you sure as hell don't deserve help."

"Calm down Katie," Matt said, stepping up beside her. "Remember who she is. We can't just get angry and start attacking her with our full strength. She's just an innocent victim in this too. If we did, how would we be any better than Skyler?"

"Hmph," Katie huffed. "Fair point, but you can't be happy with what she's done to James?"

"Of course not," he replied. "I just don't think she's in her right mind at the moment. It's not her fault."

"So what do you suggest?" she asked. "That we don't duel her at all?"

"Oh no, we still have to duel her," Matt replied instantly. "One way or another, we need to get that Number. And quickly too, before another Number Hunter shows up. I just think that I should be the one dueling, not you. I can think clearly, and apply logic to-"

Katie smiled. "Sorry Matt, but no. This duel's mine."

"But-"

"By attacking James she made it personal," she went on. "Besides, both of us have Chaos Numbers now, which means I'm just as qualified as you to handle this."

There was a brief pause as Matt attempted to come up with a counterargument. When none presented itself, he sighed. "Can I trust you not to let your emotions get the better of you this time?"

"Don't worry, I promise I'll behave," Katie smiled, before turning to face Deiana.

"Alright then," Matt said. "But be careful. You saw that scoreboard when we first got here – there's something strange about this woman's Deck."

Katie nodded. As the duelists prepared their equipment and set up the augmented reality field, Matt called Dan and Leah over, and together the three of them half-carried, half-dragged James out of harm's way. _'Good,' _Katie thought, watching them. _'Now I can duel at full strength without worrying about hurting him.'_

_"AR Vision – link established."_

"DUEL!"

**Katie LP:** 4000

**Deiana LP:** 4000

"Beauty before age," Katie said, drawing her card. "I Summon **Solstice Armed Mage**!" A pale-skinned magician appeared, wearing a dark red trench coat and carrying a long staff. At the end of the staff was a sculpture of a dragon wrapped around a crystal ball.

**Solstice Armed Mage: Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 200**

"Then I place one card face-down and end my turn." Her Set card appeared behind her magician.

"My turn... draw..." Despite looking as if she was on her last legs, Deiana still gingerly began her move. "I... I Normal Summon Krebons." With an electronic green flash, a clown-esque monster appeared, wearing a blue and gold outfit, and with limbs that didn't seem to be connected to its body.

Krebons: Psychic-Type/Tuner/DARK/Level 2/ATK 1200/DEF 400

"Then I place the Quick-Play Spell, Emergency Teleport. With it, I can Special Summon any Level three or below Psychic-Type monster from my Deck. I choose Lifeforce Harmonizer." In another green flash, a blue and white blob of what appeared to be pure energy materialized.

Lifeforce Harmonizer: Psychic-Type/WIND/Level 2/ATK 800/DEF 400

"Now, I activate the effect of **Portron** in my hand." As Deiana revealed the card, Katie began to notice a change in the nurse. Every single move she made seemed to make her more animated. She was growing more confident as the duel went on. "When a Psychic-Type monster is Special Summoned to my field, this card can be Special Summoned from my hand," she explained. "Appear, **Portron**." With one final flash of light, a mechanical sphere appeared, powered by what looked like white electricity, arcing between terminals scattered across its surface.

**Portron: Psychic-Type/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 900**

"And when I Summon it using this effect, its Level changes to become the same as the Level of the monster I just Summoned."

**Portron: Level 1 **→** 2**

"Level two Krebons, Harmonizer, and **Portron**, Overlay!" The three Psychic-Type monsters turned fully purple, green, and yellow respectively. Then they distorted, discarding their original shapes, and shot up into the air, clearing the way for a galaxy-shaped portal to open beneath them. "I use these three monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The three monsters chased each other down into the spiralling depths, and the portal exploded with light. "Appear, **Number 72: Crystalline Cleric**!"

A brilliant white number seventy-two flared into life above the field, and from out of the portal rose a giant cluster of crystals, all deep blue and sparkling. As gently as the breeze, the crystals seemed to open up like a flower coming into bloom, spreading out like petals, and revealing something curled up inside. Something human. As its prison opened, however, the humanoid uncurled and stood atop its crystal flower, gazing down at the field. It was a female, with startling white hair and an equally white dress, punctuated with blue and gold partitions that made it seem like the robe of a princess. Strangely, for a Number, its piercing blue eyes held no hatred or malice, only an overwhelming sense of kindness. Three blue Overlay Units traced circles around the monster, casting strange patterns against the hard crystal.

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: Psychic-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 2/ATK 200/DEF 2200 – 3 OLU**

Dan stared at it, a sort of desperate longing in his eyes. "So is that it?"

"That's it alright," Matt replied.

"No doubt about it," Leah added. "Just look at its face... this has to be the healing Number."

Katie, however, was more interested in Deiana. The moment her Number had appeared, the nurse had stood up straight, all of her initial unsteadiness had disappeared, and she was now staring at Katie with interest.

"Are you ready for the real duel to begin?" Deiana asked, and there was a strange note in her voice that hadn't been there before. Without waiting for an answer, she raised her hand, her finger pointing to the sky, and her Number mimicked the movement. "I activate Crystalline Cleric's first effect. Once per turn, I can detach one of its Overlay Units to target any monster on the field besides itself, and gain Life Points equal to the difference between its ATK and DEF." One of the blue orbs broke orbit and was absorbed into its outstretched hand.

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: 3 **→** 2 OLU**

"I target **Solstice Armed Mage**, which has 1800 ATK and 200 DEF. That's a 1600 point difference, so I gain that many Life Points." The serene Number turned and pointed towards its owner, and a stream of sparkling light flew from the tip of its finger and enveloped her.

**Deiana LP:** 4000 → 5600

"So that's how you got so many Life Points against James," Katie said.

"Correct," Deiana replied. "Now let me show you how I defeated him. I place two cards face-down, and during the End Phase, I activate Cleric's other effect. During each of my End Phases, one card is sent from the top of my opponent's Deck to the Graveyard for every 1000 points of difference between our Life Points. It's just a 1600 difference at the moment, so you only send one card."

Katie gasped as the realisation hit her. "Deck Destruction..." she whispered.

"A Deck Destruction strategy," Leah said, as she and the others figured it out at the same moment. "Not good. Katie's Deck goes through itself fast enough at the best of times. She won't last more than a few turns."

"True," Matt said. "But remember, her Number thrives on having lots of cards in the Graveyard. And she's Katie – she's very resourceful. Maybe a few turns is all she'll need." He turned back to the duel. "If anyone can adapt to this type of duel, she can."

Katie, meanwhile, had just sent her top card – King Pyron – to the Graveyard, and was now cycling through options on her D-Gazer. Eventually she found what she was looking for; an option to bring up a display for the number of cards in her Deck. She selected it.

**Katie's Deck:** 33

She nodded grimly. "Alright then, never mind Life Points," she muttered. "I have to win before that number ticks over to zero."

"With that I end my turn," Deiana declared.

"Alright then, my turn," Katie said. "I draw."

**Katie's Deck:** 33 → 32

She cursed as she saw the card she'd drawn, Featherizer. _'A card that reduces my Deck size and lets me draw… really not what I need right now.' _She placed the card in her hand, then took a different card to play instead. "I activate the Spell Card, Dragon's Mirror! This card lets me fuse monsters on my field and in my Graveyard to form a Dragon-Type Fusion Monster."

"Fusion?" Deiana said. "Interesting."

"With this card, I fuse **Solstice Armed Mage** on my field with King Pyron in my Graveyard." The fiery, demonic humanoid materialised from out of her Graveyard, then it and the magician burst into particles of light, which swirled into the Dragon's Mirror card like a glowing whirlpool. "Fusion Summon! Arise, Superalloy Beast Raptinus!" A large dragon flew out of the vortex of spinning light, and landed with a thud behind Katie. It was a crazy conglomeration of blues, greens and yellows, and its very skin seemed to be in different sections that were stitched together.

Superalloy Beast Raptinus: Dragon-Type/Fusion/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 2200/DEF 2200

"Clever," Matt muttered. "Raptinus has the same ATK and DEF, so that Number's effect won't work on it."

"With that I end my turn," Katie said.

Deiana let out a little chuckle. "Very well then, I draw. First, I Normal Summon Mind Protector." The monster that appeared this time was a short, stubby little yellow android, with yellow armour plating and a colossal pair of hands.

Mind Protector: Psychic-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 2200

"Now I'll activate Cleric's first effect," Deiana grinned. "By detaching an Overlay Unit, I gain Life Points equal to the difference between Mind Protector's ATK and DEF. In this case, the difference is 2200." Once again, the Number absorbed an Overlay Unit, then turned and enveloped its owner in a glittering light, bolstering her Life Points further.

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

**Deiana LP:** 5600 → 7800

"I end my turn there," Deiana said. "And you know what that means. Since the difference in our Life Points is 3800, you have to send another three cards to the Graveyard." Katie gritted her teeth and milled her cards.

**Katie's Deck:** 32 → 29

"My turn, draw!"

**Katie's Deck:** 29 → 28

In the back of her mind, she vaguely registered a weariness that seemed to have settled over her, but she ignored the feeling and pressed on. "That was a stupidly risky move, Summoning Mind Protector in face-up Attack Position," she stated bluntly. "And quite frankly, you've messed it up. Sure you gained some Life Points out of it, but now I'm just going to take them away again! Go, Raptinus, attack Mind Protector!" The dragon began to charge a ray of energy.

Deiana let out a bark of laughter, which sounded more like something that would belong to a witch than to a kindly nurse. "You really think I'm that naïve?" she smirked. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Defender's Mind!" One of her face-down cards activated.

"No!" Katie gasped.

"Afraid so," Deiana laughed. "This card changes all Attack Position monsters I control to Defence Position." Mind Protector obediently put up its hands in a blocking fashion. "Additionally, while I control this card, the DEF of all Defence Position monsters I control is doubled!"

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: DEF 2200 **→** 4400**

Mind Protector: DEF 2200 → 4400

Raptinus chose that moment to fire. Its burning blue energy blast shot across the field and struck Mind Protector's outstretched hands, where it rebounded, breaking up into a thousand smaller bolts which lashed back at Katie.

**Katie LP:** 4000 → 1800

"Hahaha," Deiana laughed. "How convenient. Not the way I prefer to do things, but at least this way you'll be milling even more each turn."

As Katie struggled back to her feet, Matt found himself struggling with something else: déjà vu. He could've sworn he'd seen this sort of behaviour from a Number holder before. The barely-disguised weakness and desperate pleading, which evaporated almost instantly to be replaced by an almost fiendish pleasure.

Then he had it. Haydra! The Number holder named Haydra had done the exact same thing before. Matt grinned. Now he knew what was going on.

"Hey!" he shouted. As one, Leah, Dan, Katie, and Deiana all turned to look at him. "Number 72! It's you that's dueling, isn't it? You've taken control of her body, haven't you? Answer me!"

'Deiana' grinned, a wide and malicious grin. On her forehead, the white glowing symbol flared even brighter. "So what if I have?" she said.

"Oh, nothing," Matt smiled nonchalantly. "I just wanted to make sure. Now it'll be a lot more fun to watch you have the stuffing beaten out of you."

_"By whom, exactly?" _Suddenly, Deiana's voice was harsher, rasping, yet with a confident and mocking note to it. Matt recognised it as the voice of a Number. It pointed at Katie. _"Her? She has not put up a good demonstration so far. She is weak. I need someone stronger than her."_

"Why?" Katie asked.

_"To heal."_

* * *

Author-made cards:

Solstice Armed Mage  
Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 200  
This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: ●This card's original ATK becomes 2400.

Portron  
Psychic-Type/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 900  
When you Special Summon a Psychic-Type monster(s): You can Special Summon this card from your hand. If you do, this card's Level becomes the same as that Special Summoned monster's. You can only control 1 face-up "Portron".

Number 72: Crystalline Cleric  
Psychic-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 2/ATK 200/DEF 2200  
3 Level 2 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 other face-up monster; gain Life Points equal to the difference between its ATK and DEF. During each of your End Phases: Send 1 card from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard for every 1000 difference between each player's Life Points. While this card is face-up on the field, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #77: Sorry everyone, no incredible ultimate Insta-Win effect this time. Just Deck Destruction. We chose Deck Destruction as Deiana's Deck theme for three reasons. Firstly, because we haven't really addressed Deck Destruction in our stories yet. Secondly, the idea of a passive nurse winning by attacking and dealing damage like any other duelist just didn't seem right to us (it was weird enough when Fonda Fontaine did it). Thirdly, back when some of us used a Psychic Deck in real life, we found that we could elevate our Life Points to practically untouchable levels, but couldn't actually do anything with them, and ended up decking ourselves out. It's nice to be able to turn the tables for once.**

**Fun Fact #78: We're not displaying Deiana's Deck count because there's no point. We'll display it at the start of each Chapter, but really, it's pointless to show every single change, since there's no chance of her decking out before Katie. Is there?**

**Fun Fact #79: I wonder if we can break 100 Fun Facts by the end of this story. It's certainly possible.**


	22. Part 3: Ch 3

**Katie LP:** 1800

**Katie's Deck:** 28

Superalloy Beast Raptinus: Dragon-Type/Fusion/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 2200/DEF 2200

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 1 set card

**Deiana LP:** 7800

**Deiana's Deck:** 32

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: Psychic-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 2/ATK 200/DEF 4400 – 1 OLU**

Mind Protector: Psychic-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 4400

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Defender's Mind, 1 set card

"To heal?" Katie repeated suspiciously. "To heal what, exactly?"

_"Everything," _Number 72 replied. _"Everyone. I have the power to heal creation itself, and I will do so. Unfortunately," _Using Deiana's body, the Number looked down at its hands, _"this human is weak. She started out with an endless ambition, a desire to end all sickness in the world, and she devoted all her energy to that task. Now she does nothing but whine and plead for her task to end. Ah, I see the look on your face, girl; you wish to know the reason why."_

"If you would be so kind," Katie said sarcastically.

_"Her energy is failing, and with it, her desire," _Number 72 explained. _"I started her down the path she has always wanted to follow, but now that it has gotten a little tiring for her, she's suddenly decided that she wants out. Well, as it turns out, I am all too happy to oblige. She served me well, giving me this shape, providing me energy, and introducing me to so many ill and injured humans. But if she is willing to waver from her duties now that she feels a little tired, I have no further use for her."_

"It didn't look like she was 'a little tired' to me," Katie growled. "It looked like she was near death. You're forcing too much on her. She still wants to heal – desires like that don't just disappear – but you're pushing her beyond what she's capable of. Of course she's going to try and escape."

_"Then let her escape," _the Number replied contemptuously. _"After I find someone strong enough to defeat her and take me from her, I can gather the strength I need from them instead."_

"Is that why you dueled James?" she asked. "You were testing him to see if he would be a suitable host."

_"Guilty as charged," _the Number smirked. _"But he was weak, and thus he lost. Now I wish to see if you fare any better. Back to the duel! It's my turn, I draw! First, I give up 500 of my Life Points to keep Mind Protector on the field."_

**Deiana LP: **7800 → 7300

_"A paltry figure, offset by a much greater reward," _it laughed. _"Now I activate Crystalline Cleric's effect! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can Life Points equal to the difference between Mind Protector's ATK and DEF." _As commanded, the passive-looking Number absorbed its final blue orb into its outstretched finger.

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

_"Mind Protector's ATK is 0, and its DEF is 4400. Therefore, the amount of Life Points I gain is a massive 4400!"_

**Deiana LP:** 7300 → 11700

Katie stared at the readout in dismay. "This is ridiculous," she muttered. "She- no, it has almost 10000 Life Points more than me..."

_"With that I place one card face-down and end my turn," _Number 72 grinned._ "And you know what that means. You have to send nine cards from your Deck to the Graveyard." _Katie groaned as yet more of her cards were lost.

**Katie's Deck:** 28 → 19

There it was again: that feeling of light-headedness, as though she was just waking up from a long sleep. Why was that? It was early afternoon, and she hadn't really done that much running today. Plus, this wasn't really a taxing duel. Why was it wearing her down so much?

"My turn... I draw!"

**Katie's Deck:** 19 → 18

"Alright," she grinned, shaking her head in an attempt to cure her weariness. "That's better."

_"Better isn't good enough," _the Number grinned. _"No monster in your Deck can break through two monsters with 4400 DEF each. And even if they do, they'll then have to deal with depleting over 11000 Life Points. How exactly do you intend to overcome that?"_

"If you shut up for a minute, I'll show you," Katie said tersely. "I activate the Spell Card, Oil Drilling, which lets me add any FIRE monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I choose Evocator Chevalier. Then, I'll Normal Summon it right away!" She took the card from her Graveyard and placed it straight onto her duel disk. The red Gemini monster took to the field in a whirl of flames.

Evocator Chevalier: Warrior-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 900

"Oh, and due to Raptinus being in play, Gemini monsters don't need to be Normal Summoned to start applying their effects," Katie added. "Now I activate the Equip Spell, Supervise! Equip to Chevalier!" The warrior was surrounded by a shimmering veil of flames.

_"So you're trying that strategy, are you?" _the Number asked.

"Chevalier's effect activates," Katie declared. "By sending an Equip I control to the Graveyard, I can destroy one card you control. I target Defender's Mind!" The swordsman raised its flame-coated blade up high, and the burning aura seemed to be drawn to it, forming a fireball around the sword.

_"Nice try human," _Number 72 said. _"I activate the Trap Card, Hierophant's Wand!" _The Trap Card activated. Suddenly, the fireball above the warrior exploded with a bang like a firework. Chevalier was knocked over backwards, startled and disoriented. Embers rained down across the field.

"What the-" Katie started to ask.

_"Due to the effect of Hierophant's Wand," _Number 72 said, _"Your card effects will be unable to destroy any cards I control for the remainder of this turn."_

"Damnit." Katie was visibly distraught, but the Number wasn't finished yet.

_"That's not all," _it went on. _"You are also allowed to draw one card in compensation for this powerful effect. Well, when I say compensation, I mean that in the context of any other duel besides this one."_

Dan glanced at Leah. "What does that mean?" he asked. "I thought having a lot of cards in your hand was a good thing."

"In any other duel, yes," Leah nodded. "But Number 72 is trying to reduce Katie's Deck size to zero. So in this case-"

"-drawing is a bad thing," Matt finished.

**Katie's Deck:** 18 → 17

Katie gritted her teeth with frustration. "I activate the other effect of Supervise," she declared. "When this card goes to the Graveyard, I can revive any Normal Monster from my Graveyard. So back you come, Phoenix Gearfried!" A proud warrior in white and red armour, with a flowing golden cape and blazing shoulder pads, materialised.

Phoenix Gearfried: Warrior-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200

"I'll set one card face-down and end my turn there." Her Set card appeared, and Katie sighed, half with fatigue, half with relief.

_"I presume that expression of relief is to do with Crystalline Cleric's lack of Overlay Units," _Number 72 observed. _"Well then… let's see just how long that expression lasts."_

"Eh?"

_"It's my turn, draw. First, I'll pay the required 500 Life Points to keep Mind Protector in play."_

**Deiana LP:** 11700 → 11200

_"Then I activate the Trap Card, Xyz Drop!" _The Number's last remaining face-down card activated. _"After activation, this card changes itself into an Overlay Unit, and attaches itself to any Xyz Monster I control." _The Trap Card shrunk down into a small blue orb of light, then darted upwards and settled into orbit around the Number.

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: 0 **→** 1 OLU**

"No!" Katie gasped.

_"Crystalline Cleric's effect activates!" _Number 72 declared. _"By detaching an Overlay Unit, I will gain a further 4400 Life Points!"_

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

**Deiana LP:** 11200 → 15600

_"I place one card face-down, and thus end my turn," _the Number concluded. _"And since the difference between our Life Points is now 13800, you have to mill a total of thirteen cards from your Deck!"_

"Not good!" Leah gasped. "She'll have hardly any cards left."

_"Indeed. It's actually rather fitting when you think about it," _Number 72 said as Katie began milling her cards. _"At its most fundamental level, a duelist's Life Points are a representation of how much damage other people have inflicted on them, and nothing more. You can't view it as a person's life… it's more akin to their health than anything else. They can pad out their time on this earth by maintaining it, or go to their graves quicker by neglecting it. With enough investment, or a lack of offensive measures on the part of the opponent, it can actually stop decreasing entirely."_

**Katie's Deck:** 17 → 4

_"The Deck, however, is a true representation of a person's life. It is constantly depleting with the passage of time, leading everyone towards a fate that all humans share equally. You can gain amazing power by being reckless and speeding through it, but in the end, you'll end up shortening your own time in this world. And in the end, no-one can hold off the passage of time forever, just as you cannot keep your Deck full forever. In the end, everyone succumbs to that final, unavoidable destiny." _Through Deiana's face, the Number gave a smile that carried a hint of sadness. _"Death!"_

Katie collapsed.

"Katie!" Matt shouted. "Hey, are you alright?"

"What did you do to her?" Leah yelled. "If you've hurt her, I swear I'll-"

_"Were you listening to nothing of what I said?" _the Number snapped back. _"I do not hurt people to win duels; such a thing would only jeopardise me if they were to become my host. Besides, I have not dealt a single point to damage to her with my avatar – Crystalline Cleric – during this duel. _

"She's got a point," Matt muttered. "The only damage she took was from a redirected attack involving two regular monsters. Solid Vision damage is realistic, but isn't enough to injure any duelist, especially not to the point of collapse."

"Then what's really going on?" Leah asked, still addressing the Number. "Because this isn't normal."

The Number smirked cheekily. _"It's actually rather fitting when you think about it," _it repeated.

"What is?"

_"Well, how should I put this… I decided to add a touch more realism to the concept of a Deck representing a person's life. In that this is what is happening now. Her Deck is her life. Every time her Deck is thinned, her life energy decreases proportionately. I won't kill her – you can rest assured of that – but her strength is slowly diminishing along with her one true dueling lifeline."_

"That's horrible..." Leah gasped.

_"That's life," _Number 72 retorted. _"Her life energy will be reduced to its minimum once her Deck reaches zero. She will still have the energy to remain conscious, but just barely. It will be a mark of real strength if she can defeat me with so little energy left."_

"And what will happen... what will happen when I attempt to draw?" Everyone looked at Katie, and saw that she was back on her feet. Unsteady and exhausted, but on her feet, and actively participating in the conversation.

_"Ah, good, you're up," _the Number exclaimed. _"Well, as you well know, if you attempt to draw while your Deck is at zero, you will lose the duel."_

"I know, but what happens then?" Katie asked, although she felt that she already knew the answer.

The Number pointed over to the spectators, to where James was still lying, unconscious. _"That," _it said simply.

"That?" Katie repeated, a hint of anger in her voice. "Care to elaborate a little?"

_"Certainly,"_ the Number smirked. _"The human male fared badly in our duel. He is almost completely devoid of energy now. He is in what you humans would refer to as a 'coma'. But I have the power to heal him – should you acquire me – and herein lies your true test. If you can defeat and capture me, you can use my powers to heal him. A mere minute of my powers will have him turning cartwheels around you. However, should you fail, not only will he remain uncured, but you will join him."_

"So that's what you did to him," Katie breathed. "Well sorry, but you're not doing it to me. No way!"

_"I hope I don't have to," _Number 72 replied sincerely. _"If you win, then it shows that you have the strength to become my next host, and that's what I really want. A strong host, one capable of holding its own despite the tremendous odds placed before it, something which my current host clearly cannot do. I want you to win, I really do. But I will not simply hand that victory to you on a platter. You have to earn my power, through-"_

"Hahahaha, how very interesting!"

The conversation was suddenly cut off by the shout that echoed electronically around them. At the same time, a face flashed into being on each of their D-Gazers – duelists and spectators alike – a face that filled their vision and stared straight at them with its dull brown eyes and wide smirk. The sort of contented smirk a man gives when he's just heard exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Well, hello there kiddies," Doctor Lithon sneered. "How very nice to see you again!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Number 72: Crystalline Cleric  
Psychic-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 2/ATK 200/DEF 2200  
3 Level 2 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 other face-up monster; gain Life Points equal to the difference between its ATK and DEF. During each of your End Phases: Send 1 card from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard for every 1000 difference between each player's Life Points. While this card is face-up on the field, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #80: For those who are wondering why we use so many anime/manga cards within our fics, the reason is simple. Because it's either that or author-made cards, and we can't really justify creating an entirely new card to do a mundane job that a pre-existing card WHICH KONAMI REFUSES TO RELEASE can do equally well, if not better. Plus it helps create a more immersive dueling world, one in which there doesn't seem to be just a single copy of most cards in existence, which is how the anime portrays it.**

**Fun Fact #81: We always try to use the TCG names for cards where possible. The three exceptions to this are the Chaos Numbers (because Number C is kind of silly), the Burning Knucklers (because the Battlin' Boxers... just... ugh, sorry, we can't bring ourselves to take it seriously), and unreleased anime/manga cards like Hierophant's Wand and Oil Drilling. Even though they were called Emperor's Staff and Oil in the dub/manga translation, those names are not always an indication of a card's TCG name. So we'll continue to use the confirmed Japanese name until Konami actually releases it in the TCG.**

**Fun Fact #82: Has anyone else noticed that Yuma's Deck seems to have been designed with a toddler in mind? Part of the Deck is composed of the strange repeated words and sounds a child might make (Gagaga, Gogogo, Zubaba, Dododo, Achacha, Tententen, Muzumuzu, Bachibachibachi, etc), another part consists of the Numbers to help Yuma learn how to count, and the rest is stand-alone letters to teach Yuma how to read (No, C, D, ZW, V, RUM, etc).**


	23. Part 3: Ch 4

**Katie LP:** 1800

**Katie's Deck:** 4

Superalloy Beast Raptinus: Dragon-Type/Fusion/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 2200/DEF 2200

Evocator Chevalier: Warrior-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 4/ATK 1900/DEF 900

Phoenix Gearfried: Warrior-Type/Gemini/FIRE/Level 8/ATK 2800/DEF 2200

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 2 set cards

**Deiana LP:** 15600

**Deiana's Deck:** 30

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: Psychic-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 2/ATK 200/DEF 4400 – 0 OLU**

Mind Protector: Psychic-Type/LIGHT/Level 3/ATK 0/DEF 4400

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Defender's Mind, 1 set card

Number 72 snarled at the man's sudden appearance on her D-Gazer; an expression befitting of a Number, but coming from the nurse's face it just looked odd. _"Who're you?" _it growled.

"Ah, mind your temper little Number," Lithon said. "I am your new master, so it may not be a smart idea to get on my bad side before being officially introduced, don't you think?"

The Number growled under its breath, but said nothing more.

"Still, I admire your skills Number," he went on. "You not only possess the power to heal, but also the ability to link a duelist's soul to their Deck, causing both to diminish equally. Yes, I look forward to studying you in great detail."

Matt sighed in exasperation. "Lithon, what the hell do you want now?" he asked. "Didn't your little mind slave get enough the last time I pummelled him into the ground?"

"Aw, listen to this Kodoku," Lithon replied in a patronising tone. "That little hunter really thinks he's still stronger than you."

"That's what the scoreboard seemed to show last time," Matt retorted.

"You seriously believe that is still the case?" Lithon asked. "I'm a scientist, boy. Do you really think that I am incapable of learning from my previous setbacks? Learning and adapting is my greatest strength as a researcher. While you've been running around hunting a few Numbers and generally remaining very weak, I've dipped into my supply of research Numbers – that is, the Numbers I have captured to conduct my experiments on. Which, in combination with both Kodoku's and my own original Numbers, are more than enough to-"

"Hold up," Matt interrupted. "The last time I dueled Kodoku, I captured his original Number."

"You captured _a_ Number," Lithon pointed out. "What makes you think it was Kodoku's original?"

Matt opened his mouth to retort, then closed it again. He really didn't have an answer.

"Anyway," Lithon grinned. "I can see that you're rather busy, so I'll be brief. The healing Number is mine. Your Numbers are mine. I'm on my way to secure all of them right now, and any resistance will be met with a swift and painful defeat at the hands of myself and Kodoku. Any questions?"

"Just one," Dan said before anyone else could speak. "Why is your lab coat yellow?"

There was a pause. Lithon glowered at him through his D-Gazer, the glare being mirrored through to everyone else as well. "Foolish little man, yellow represents all that is reason! The pinnacle of humanity and its knowledge! The grandest emperors and the most empowering truths, things which you, someone who can barely remember their own shoe size, will never hope to understand!"

"I though yellow was the colour of a coward," Dan mused. Leah snorted derisively.

Lithon took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'll be sure to make your defeat especially painful," he muttered. "Anyway, I'll leave you all to it now. Treasure your last moments together with your Numbers, because you will lose them all. Today. See you soon." The transmission cut, and every D-Gazer went blank.

"Right," Matt said, feeling apprehensive. "Um, Katie-"

"I know," she replied. "We have to be quick now, right?"

"Really quick," Leah said. "We have to capture this Number _and_ use it to heal James and Dan before that maniac gets here. We're really on a timer now."

Katie nodded wearily. This day was already becoming a bit much for her. Nevertheless, she had a duty, and she turned back to face the possessed Deiana even as she turned to face her.

_"It's your move," _Number 72 said shortly.

"Alright," Katie said. "Now or never, then. I draw!"

**Katie's Deck:** 4 → 3

Quite unexpectedly, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, you took long enough to show up," she muttered. Rather than playing the card she'd just drawn, however, she took a different card from her hand. "I activate the Spell Card, Dark Factory of Mass Production, which lets me return two Normal Monsters from the Graveyard to my hand. I choose **Solstice Æthermage** and Tuned Magician. Then, I Normal Summon Tuned Magician!" She extracted the two cards from her Graveyard, then immediately placed one onto her duel disk, thus calling a green and white-garbed Spellcaster to the field.

Tuned Magician: Spellcaster-Type/Gemini/WIND/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1600

"And due to the effect of Raptinus, my Gemini monster instantly gains its effect, changing it into a Tuner monster!"

Tuned Magician: Gemini → Gemini/Tuner

_"Intruiging,"_ Number 72 muttered.

"I tune the Level four Tuned Magician to the Level four Evocator Chevalier!" Katie declared. With a shout, Tuned Magician seemed to explode outwards, producing four green synchro rings, which aligned themselves around the warrior. The swordsman disappeared, leaving behind four shining white orbs of light – not that dissimilar to Overlay Units – which lined up within the rings. "Synchro Summon!" A beam of light shot down the line of stars, through the centre of the rings, and struck the ground behind her. "Come on out, Black Brutdrago!" From within the column of light, a fearsome-looking black dragon thudded out. It bore thick spiked braces on its arms and legs, a glowing red crisscross pattern down its belly, and a number of lethal-looking horns on its head and neck.

Black Brutdrago: Dragon-Type/Synchro/FIRE/Level 8/ATK 3000/DEF 2600

"Nice," Leah grinned. "A Fusion Monster and Synchro Monster on the field at the same time."

"Now I activate Brutdrago's effect," Katie went on. "By sending a Gemini monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy any Spell or Trap Card you control. I discard **Solstice Æthermage** to destroy Defender's Mind!" She sent the card to her Graveyard, and in response, Brutdrago let off a burst of pitch-black flames, incinerating Number 72's pivotal Trap Card.

**Number 72: Crystalline Cleric: DEF 4400 **→** 2200**

Mind Protector: DEF 4400 → 2200

_'Curses,' _the Number thought to itself. _'My face-down, Destruction Trigger, can only activate when one of my cards is destroyed by the effect of a Spell or Trap Card. Why did she have to destroy it with Brutdrago, of all things?!'_

Katie took another deep breath. "Well, here goes! I activate the Ritual Spell Card, **Searing Sacrament**!"

_"A Ritual Spell too?!" _the Number gasped.

"Yep," Katie grinned tiredly. "With it, I Tribute the Raptinus on my field and Featherizer in my hand." She sent both cards to her Graveyard, and a whirlwind of fire whipped itself up between her two remaining monsters. "Ritual Summon! Appear, **Raketsuho, Searing Bane of the Solstice**!" From within an inferno of darkened flames, a demonic figure stepped confidently forwards. It was humanoid in shape, but with a thick, reptilian skin in darkened shades of reds and blacks. It stood taller than even Brutdrago, and had hour horns protruding from its head, further accentuating its demon-like appearance. A billowing black cape was draped across its shoulders, and in one hand it held a jagged double-edged blade.

**Raketsuho, Searing Bane of the Solstice: Fiend-Type/Ritual/Gemini/FIRE/Level 9/ATK 3800/DEF 3600**

"Well," Matt said, staring at the new apparition. "This is new..."

Katie sighed heavily. "I really do hate Summoning this guy," she explained. "The only reason I still keep him in my Deck is for his raw power, for situations where my Number isn't enough, like right now. So what's say we get this over with? I activate the other effect of **Searing Sacrament** in my Graveyard."

_"What other effect?" _Number 72 asked, apparently unaffected by the presence of the demonic creature.

"You see," Katie explained, "if this card is in my Graveyard after being sent there from a place other than the field, I can banish it to turn one of my Gemini monsters into an Effect Monster for this turn only."

_"But it _was_ sent there from the field!" _the Number argued. _"You activated it, which placed it on the field, and once it resolved it went to the Graveyard. So you can't use that effect!"_

Katie grinned. "I do have more than one copy of this card in my Deck, you know," she said. "In fact, I run two other copies, which you were actually kind enough to place into the Graveyard for me."

_"No!"_ it gasped. _"They were among the cards I milled from your Deck, weren't they?!"_

"They were among the first, actually," Katie nodded. "Now, back to business! I banish **Searing Sacrament** from my Graveyard to change Raketsuho into an Effect Monster!" As she pulled the card out of her Graveyard, the fiend's cape seemed to erupt into a blaze of black flames, and a wicked chuckle escape its lips. "Here we go! Battle! Raketsuho, attack Crystalline Cleric!"

_"Attacking my avatar?" _the Number gasped. _"Are you insane? Numbers can only be destroyed by other Numbers, and my monsters are still in Defence Position, so this attack will get you nowhere!"_

"Or so you'd think," Katie grinned. "Raketsuho just so happens to inflict Piercing Damage."

_"What?!"_

"In addition," she went on, "whenever Raketsuho declares an attack, all other FIRE monsters on the field are instantly destroyed, and their attack power is transferred to him!" As if on cue, the fiend let out a bellow of victory and thrust its sword to the heavens. A shadowy wave of fiery energy burst from the very tip of the blade, incinerating Black Brutdrago and Phoenix Gearfried as it passed, but leaving both of Number 72's monsters intact.

**Raketsuho, Searing Bane of the Solstice: ATK 3800 **→ **9600**

"When strategizing fails, raw power is usually the answer," Katie grinned. At that moment, Raketsuho darted across the field and slashed horizontally at the healing Number's incarnate. The Number cried out, and quickly brought up a line of crystals to shield itself. The sword bounced off the blue crystals with an almighty clang, and as it did, another wave of shadowy flames exploded from the sword tip, enveloping the duelist standing behind it.

**Deiana LP:** 15600 → 8200

_"Gah… ha, still alive!" _the Number proclaimed. _"You haven't won yet human. You have no more monsters to attack me with, no cards in your hand, and a mere three cards in your Deck. If you end your turn now, you will lose by Cleric's effect next turn!"_

Katie smiled. She still had her two face-downs. She knew that she'd already won, but tiredness was really starting to set in now. She had to finish this before she collapsed again. She knew that if that happened, she wouldn't get back up a second time.

"I... I activate the Counter Trap, Backdraft!" One of her Set cards activated. "When a FIRE monster I control deals you Battle Damage, this card damages you further."

_"How much further?" _Number 72 asked apprehensively.

"Glad you asked," Katie said. "The damage you take is equal to that FIRE monster's ATK." She had no sooner finished speaking when the Trap Card seemed to explode, spreading out in a wave of unstoppable fire that passed harmlessly through Katie and the monsters, but enveloped Deiana's body in a wall of flames. She fell backwards, screaming as the flames ate away at what was left of her substantial Life Points.

**Katie LP:** 1800 [WINNER]

**Deiana LP:** 8200 → 0

It was over. With a sigh of relief, Katie fell to her knees as the finishing claxon echoed around her, the monsters disappeared, and the cheers of her comrades sounded in her ears. Acting on instinct, she raised her right arm and prepared to activate her band, but a shout from Matt stopped her. "Katie, don't do that!" he called.

"Why not?" she asked.

"You're too weak right now," he said. "We need someone fresh and strong to heal the boys."

"Let me do it instead," Leah piped up. "I promise I'll give it back to you afterwards, but for now, it'd be best if I took it."

Katie hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Sure... go for it..." she said, her voice little more than a whisper.

Taking that as her cue, Leah stepped forwards and, with deft, well-practised movements, raised her left arm and triggered her band, sending a swarm of glowing tendrils into the downed woman's body. After less than a minute of searching, Leah had a firm grip on the Number. She pulled confidently, and the card was pulled out of the nurse's body and deposited in her outstretched hand. The white symbol for seventy-two flared briefly into life on her hand, and a familiar voice echoed the words _'Thank you…' _in the back of her head, before being suppressed by the band's power.

"We did it," she breathed, staring at the card. "The healing Number... we actually did it!" She turned to Matt and Dan in excitement. "We actually did it guys!"

"Yeah yeah, we can throw a party later," Matt replied. "But right now, Lithon and Kodoku are on their way, so we need to use this thing before they get here."

"Right," Leah nodded, but as she turned to Dan, she couldn't help but savour the moment. They'd succeeded. They'd been trying to get their friend back for so long now; it hardly seemed possible that it was actually going to happen. A broad grin split her face. She felt like she was going to burst with excitement.

"Anytime today Leah," Matt insisted.

She nodded, the smile never leaving her face for a second. "You ready for this, Dan?" she asked.

"Yep," Dan replied. "How are you going to do it?"

"Well," Leah considered. "When Deiana did it on TV, she always did it by direct contact. I guess I'll just try that and see what happens."

He nodded. "Alright then."

"You excited for this?"

"More than you'll ever know."

"Leah, seriously..." Matt muttered.

She supposed that Matt had a point; it would be foolish to delay any longer. "Well," she grinned, raising her hand. "This is it, then."

* * *

Author-made cards:

Raketsuho, Searing Bane of the Solstice  
Fiend-Type/Ritual/Gemini/FIRE/Level 9/ATK 3800/DEF 3600  
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set (from your hand). Must first be Ritual Summoned with "Searing Sacrament". This card is treated as a non-Effect Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is face-up on the field, you can Normal Summon it to have it treated as an Effect Monster with this effect: ●This card inflicts Piercing Damage. When this card declares an attack: Destroy all other face-up FIRE monsters on the field, and if you do, this card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of those destroyed monsters on the field, until the end of the Damage Step.

Number 72: Crystalline Cleric  
Psychic-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 2/ATK 200/DEF 2200  
3 Level 2 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 other face-up monster; gain Life Points equal to the difference between its ATK and DEF. During each of your End Phases: Send 1 card from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard for every 1000 difference between each player's Life Points. While this card is face-up on the field, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase.

Searing Sacrament  
Ritual Spell Card  
Ritual Summon 1 "Raketsuho, Searing Bane of the Solstice" from your hand. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand and/or field whose total Levels equal 9 or more. If this card is in your Graveyard (unless it was activated and sent there from the field): You can banish this card from your Graveyard, then target 1 face-up Gemini non-Effect Monster you control; until the End Phase, that target is treated as an Effect Monster, and gains its effects. You can only use this effect of "Searing Sacrament" once per turn.

* * *

**Fun Fact #83: So who was it at Konami that decreed that WATER should get all of the Ritual Monsters nowadays? We're not against it by any means, but I think the love should be shared a bit. And if you think about it, it makes a lot more sense for FIRE to get the Rituals than WATER.**

**Fun Fact #84: Ladies and gentlemen, may we introduce Katie - the great improviser, and queen of burning people.**

**Fun Fact #85: Go back. Go all the way back. Go back to Chapter 6 of the Summer Solstice story, and take a look at Solstice Guru's flavour text. It mentions how he is the only one left alive who knows the lore surrounding the disappearance of the Solstice magicians. Now you know what caused the disappearance. Raketsuho. You also now know how Raketsuho got his 'title' - Bane of the Solstice.**


	24. Part 3: Ch 5

"Anything yet?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"No."

It had been several minutes since Katie's spectacular victory over Number 72, and she was now taking a well-deserved rest, leaning against a tree in the shade, and watching the goings on with mild apprehension. James was next to her, still unconscious.

Matt was also watching, getting more and more edgy as time went on. He knew that each passing second brought Lithon and Kodoku closer, and if they arrived before the procedure was done, Leah and himself were the only ones left in any condition to duel. In an ideal world that would be enough, but he didn't want to leave anything to chance, particularly if they happened to lose the duel and, subsequently, the healing Number. If they lost it now, that would be the end. Lithon would never let them take it back.

Dan and Leah were opposite each other, sitting cross-legged in the grass, with her palm resting gently against his forehead. The procedure, needless to say, was going badly.

"Feel anything yet?" Leah asked.

"Still nothing," Dan replied.

"For crying out loud," Leah moaned. "How is this supposed to work? I thought I would feel something when the power activated."

"I'm _sure_ I should be feeling something too," Dan added. "Call me crazy, but I don't think the Number's power is working."

"But why not?" Leah said. "It worked on TV. I saw Deiana heal that guy, so why-"

She stopped as Matt knelt down beside them. "You know what I think the problem is," he said.

"Do tell," she said.

"That." Matt pointed to her band. "I think your band is actually holding back the Number's powers, in the same way it holds back the Numbers' influence."

Dan's face fell. "Oh... so in order to use its power..."

"...then we have to give up our only form of protection, yes," Matt finished. He turned to ask Leah what she wanted to do, but was shocked to see a distinct lack of fear on her face. Moreover, she was grinning.

"Boys," she smiled. "Please, remember who you're talking too." And in one smooth action she slipped the band off her arm. Almost immediately, the glowing number seventy-two flared into being on her right hand. Leah fell still, and a look of intense concentration passed over her face as she mentally communicated and grappled with her Number. They two boys just sat there, Matt wishing that he was half as skilled as her, and Dan wondering what on earth was going on.

"Is it done?" Matt asked the second Leah opened her eyes. It didn't escape him that the glowing symbol on her hand hadn't disappeared this time.

She nodded. "It's agreed to help us, but it did give us a warning."

"A warning for you?" Matt queried.

"No." She turned to face Dan. "A warning for you."

"Me?"

"Yes. It asked me to tell you that this procedure isn't going to be pleasant. Apparently your soul has been damaged, and it's going to be very uncomfortable – maybe even painful – to patch it up properly."

"Doesn't matter," Dan replied firmly. "If it'll fix whatever that man did to me, I'll gladly go through much more than that. Now come on, let's get this over with."

Leah nodded and, taking a deep breath, placed her hand back on Dan's forehead. Immediately she noticed a difference from before. She could feel the energy at the very core of her body shifting, being pulled along her arms like some sort of ethereal magnet, and flowing through her like a gentle breeze through her fingertips.

Quite suddenly, Dan's face contorted in pain, and he let out a shout, his hands balling into involuntary fists. He didn't move from his spot, but Leah reacted instinctively, pulling her hand away. Dan clutched his head in his hands, breathing heavily.

"Whisks!" he gasped. Then, out of nowhere, he burst out laughing.

Matt froze. "What did you say? What about whisks?"

"I... I don't know. I just remembered, something about whisks is really... funny." He looked up at the others, still grinning. And yet, the smile didn't reach all the way to his eyes, which were wide with shock. "Why is that funny?" he asked, real fear creeping into his voice.

Matt looked at Leah, and her at him, and there was a real sense of hope reflected in their faces, mixed with a feeling of elation the likes of which they'd never experienced.

"It's working," Leah breathed. "It's actually working..."

"What is?" Dan asked. "What's working?"

"Your memories are returning," Matt explained. "The thing with the whisk was something that happened to you back when-"

"No no, don't waste time explaining," Dan insisted. "If it's working, then keep doing it! Come on! Go!"

Leah was torn. The process was clearly working, but at the same time, it was causing her friend a considerate amount of pain. No matter how justifiable, she couldn't shake the guilt she felt at inflicting agony upon him by her own hands.

"Leah, come on," Dan said. "Don't back out now, not after how long we've worked to get this far."

"If you're having problems," Matt added, "then give me the healing Number. I'd be more than happy to-"

"No," Leah said quickly, straightening up. "I'm... I'm ok. I can do this myself." Trying in vain to control her trembling hands, she reached out once again and touched her palm to Dan's head. As soon as the cries started up again, Matt left Leah to it, partly to allow her to concentrate, and partly because the sound of his friend in pain gave him the chills. Instead, he went over to sit with Katie, who was sleepily watching the events from under a tree.

"So, how's it going?" she asked, as Matt sank down beside her.

"It's working," Matt told her. "It's uncomfortable for him, but it's definitely having an effect."

Katie's face seemed to light up. "That's fantastic," she said wearily. "The Deltas will be back to the hunt in no time now."

Matt smiled and nodded. "How about you?" he asked. "If Lithon and Kodoku were to show up now, do you think you'd be up to dueling them?"

"If the situation called for it, I'd-"

"Answer me truthfully," Matt insisted.

Katie paused, then shook her head sadly. "I'm totally drained," she admitted. "Sorry Matt."

"Don't worry about it," he said, watching the entrance to the field warily. "It just means I've got to duel a little harder than usual is all."

*MEANWHILE*

The Deltas were being watched.

High above them, on the roof of one of the nearby small block of flats, a woman stood leaning against the railing, watching their every move. She wore a pair of smart white trousers teamed with a black leather jacket, fastened over a plain white shirt. She also seemed to be ill-suited to the weather. The sun hadn't shown its face from behind the clouds in ages, yet she still wore a pair of sunglasses that completely concealed her eyes. It was also rather windy on top of the building, and her hair – a pitch-black colour with the occasional blonde streak – kept flapping around in her face. Yet she did nothing to clear it, so intent was she on the two sights set out before her.

One was the five children, now in a group together as they prepared to let the healing Number work its magic. She felt little sympathy towards them. In fact, she actually admired them a little. Despite the losses they had suffered, they had all chosen the path of war, and remained steadfast to it even though all logic told them to get out while they could. And then there were the Chaos Numbers they'd awakened.

She smiled to herself. There was a world of pain coming their way, but those kids would be just fine, she was sure of it.

Sadly, she couldn't say the same for the other two people she was watching through her personal 'spying' device. The man called Doctor Lithon, and his unfortunate assistant Kodoku... their futures seemed a lot less certain. A lot would depend on the upcoming duel – for a duel was imminent, of that she was certain – but a great deal was also likely to depend on how the Deltas acquitted themselves to rescuing Kodoku. They had been determined to free him before, but their convictions had been shaken once they found out that Kodoku was actually following Lithon of his own free will. Now, she had already worked out the easiest way to free Kodoku – it was so obvious to her – but would they figure it out?

"I could almost accuse you of having an obsession with us," a voice from behind her murmured.

The woman displayed no signs of panic. There was no reason to. She knew perfectly well who the person was; she just hadn't expected him so soon. She calmly tucked her viewing medium into her pocket, and turned to greet her intruder.

"Good afternoon Skyler," she said. "I'm pleased to meet you at last. I'm honestly surprised that it took you this long to track me down."

"You're not an easy person to find," Skyler muttered.

"No..." the woman mused. "No, I don't suppose I am."

As they stood facing each other, she couldn't help but notice that Skyler's appearance and demeanour had changed since his last duel. He looked like a wreck. He stood with his shoulders hunched over, and held his right arm awkwardly. She guessed that he was still working on repairing the damage done to the robotic limb during the chaotic duel with Matt and Leah. The middle-aged man also hadn't shaved in days, and there was a weariness in his eyes that just proved what she'd known all along – the hunt was wearing him down. Despite all this, however, she could still sense that spark in him. That drive. That anger, directed towards the one who'd caused him the greatest suffering imaginable. No, his war wasn't over by a long shot.

"I'll cut straight to the chase," he said, walking over to stand in front of her. "You've been watching me for a while now. Ever since I ran into the Deltas, you've been watching my duels. Every single one of them. I want to know why."

She stared back up at him, her expression hidden behind her sunglasses. He was a good few inches taller than her, but she didn't feel threatened. Why should she? He was nothing compared to her.

"It's not just you," she said. "I've been watching everyone. You, the Deltas, Doctor Lithon, Kodoku, Professor Usur, Keane and Esta-"

"Keane and Esta? Who're they?"

"No-one of consequence to you," she replied. "At least not yet."

Skyler sighed. "Ok, then back to my original question. Why are you watching us?"

"Do I have to have a reason for watching duels?" she asked.

"Don't mess me about," Skyler growled. "I'm not in the mood."

"If you insist," the woman said, turning back to watch the Deltas. "I suppose you could say I watch you all out of abject curiosity. I'm infinitely fascinated by your individual quests, and the particular methods you each choose to use to reach your personal goals. Yours is by far the most intriguing."

"And who are you to be so intimately interested in our lives when we've never even met you?" Skyler countered. "Answer me that. Who exactly are you?"

"I'm a stranger," the woman said, still not turning to look at him. "You can call me that if you wish. Most people do. Names are a powerful thing in this world, and I'd prefer to keep mine to myself."

"Bah," Skyler growled.

"You would do the same if you were in my place," she added. "Rest assured that I will tell you everything in time, but not here, and not now." She paused as cries of pain and discomfort echoed across the field. She recognised them immediately. Apparently, so did Skyler.

"They've started the healing process," he mumbled, his fists clenched.

"Indeed," The Stranger confirmed. "It's only a matter of time now before the damage you did to those children is undone." When Skyler said nothing, she went on. "Now I have a question for you."

"Oh?"

"The healing Number," she said. "Why do you want it? The Deltas brought up a valid point; it doesn't serve your purpose in any direct way. You are interested in the strongest Numbers, and while this Number is strong purely for its abilities, it is not inherently strong – at least, not from a narrowed perspective such as yours. There must be another reason."

Behind her, Skyler gave a deep sigh. He took a few steps forward, bringing himself alongside her, and leant tiredly against the railings, watching the Deltas even as she was. For a while they remained that way, gazing out over the fields, leaving the question hanging in the air.

"Do you really want me to tell you?" he asked.

"Not in particular," The Stranger replied. "It's just to satisfy my curiosity."

"Curiosity?" Skyler repeated. Then the penny dropped. "You already know, don't you?" he asked quietly.

The Stranger nodded. "I worked it out a while ago. Several weeks ago, in fact."

"How?" he breathed.

"The clues are all there," she replied. "It wasn't particularly difficult to piece together."

"But if you already know, then why are you asking me?"

"To make you say it." Still the woman refused to face him, but a steely note entered her voice. "I want to you say it out loud, and listen to yourself. And I mean really listen. Perhaps then you'll realise just how ludicrous your theory sounds."

Skyler glared at her. She finally turned to look at him, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. A lull in the conversation followed. She waited for him to speak, to finally admit to his problems, but after almost half a minute to silence, she realised that that wasn't going to happen.

"Give it time," she said, turning away. "You'll get there eventually."

"Don't count on it," Skyler growled.

*MEANWHILE*

Lithon didn't need to follow his tracker. Not anymore. The cries of pain emanating from just a short distance away told him that he and Kodoku had come to the right place. He stopped outside the entrance and turned to his protégé. "Are you ready for this, boy?" he asked.

Kodoku nodded enthusiastically. "Yes sir," he grinned. "I can't wait to see everyone again."

"Good to know," Lithon said. "But remember, there will be no holding back against them. And I mean _none_. Is that understood?"

The young boy nodded again.

"Well then," Lithon said, clapping his hands together in a business-like way. "Let's not keep them waiting any longer." And without another word, the two of them strode confidently through the gates and into the field.

He was pleased to see that he'd assumed correctly; all five Deltas were present. Three of them were lying in the shade of a tree; one was unconscious, one looked like she was barely awake herself, and one was scrambling to his feet in a panic. The remaining two Deltas were sitting opposite each other a little way away. It was the boy who was making all the noise. He also spotted the nurse, resting under another tree a few yards away, but he didn't care about her. He didn't care about the ones under the tree. His eyes were set on Leah and Dan – the two who had taken his Numbers before. They were his first targets.

First, however, he would evidently have to deal with the welcoming committee. Matt had sprinted over and placed himself firmly between Lithon and the rest of his team.

"Why hello again young man," Lithon smirked. He found himself having to raise his voice to make himself heard over the other boy's accursed screaming. "What a pleasure this is! It's been far too long since we last met face to face."

"No it hasn't," Matt replied. "Not to me, anyway. Fifty-one years would be too soon for me."

"Adorable," Lithon said. "Now, to cut right to the chase, kindly get out of my way. I have some unfinished business with your two friends over there."

"I'm going to say this loudly and clearly so that you can understand, Lithon," Matt retorted. "No!"

"You're trying my patience boy," Lithon growled. "I'll ask you once more nicely: stand aside and be quiet, or else I will make you do both by force." He waited for the team's leader to step aside. When Matt still refused to budge, Lithon sighed heavily. "Kodoku, if you please..."

With a wild grin, Kodoku darted forwards, plunging a hand into his pocket as he ran. With a start, Matt realised that he was going for a taser, and instinctively brought up an arm to defend himself, realising too late that he wasn't wearing a duel disk. He closed his eyes and braced himself, waiting for the pain.

It didn't come. Puzzled, he opened his eyes and looked at Kodoku. The boy had stopped in his tracks and was now staring past Matt. Lithon was gazing in the same direction. And something else was different too.

The screaming had stopped.

He whipped around to look at Leah and Dan. The latter had fallen silent, and was now pushing himself unsteadily to his feet, while Leah watched him with apprehension. Dan glanced around the field, taking everything in with what Matt believed was a new reverence, a new vision. Then, quite suddenly, he expertly activated his duel disk and readied his Deck, before turning to face Lithon and Kodoku.

"Hey guys," Dan grinned, talking to them but addressing everyone assembled. "Did you miss me?"

* * *

**Fun Fact #86: Well, did you?**

**Fun Fact #87: Good news. AuroraSol has finally relented and told us who The Stranger is. Now we can start properly weaving the mysterious woman into the narrative. Don't worry, you'll find out who she is not too long from now. All will be revealed in The Finale.**

**Fun Fact #88: Has anyone else noticed that most of the male characters in our stories are insane? Matt just spent several Chapters emotionally traumatising Katie, James knocked a child unconcious and left him on someone's doorstep, Lithon tortures kids (and himself) in the name of science, Kodoku is a happy-go-lucky mind slave with a taser, Usur is bipolar, Skyler should go without saying, Keane dropped a warehouse on his opponent's head during a duel... Dan seems to be the only sane one, and even he was a pyromaniac with his cooking. That being said, Katie did brutally attack a fourteen-year-old girl, and Leah did give into her rage and try to kill Skyler... man, this story is full of maniacs.**


	25. Part 3: Ch 6

Leah hardly dared believe what she was seeing. Her hands trembling, her heart pounding, she stood up next to her friend, who turned back to face her. "Dan..." she said slowly. "Is it really you?"

"It's really me," Dan replied. "I can't tell you how good it feels to remember everything. It feels like I never forgot."

Still Leah couldn't bring herself to believe it yet. "Prove it," she said. "Tell me what you remember. Give me an example of something that you experienced _before_ you forgot everything."

Dan sighed. "As you wish, sweetie." He had meant it to sound sarcastic while he thought of a proper example, but seeing the look of shock on her face, he grinned and went with it. "Ah yes," he said. "You hate that word, don't you? You basically equate it with patronization. Remember the time after our first duel with the Numbers, when we met Matt, Usur, Katie, and James for the first time? That man proposed that we come and work for him, and we asked for a moment to think about it. The moment we got out of earshot, the first thing you started talking about wasn't about his mysterious proposition. Nor was it about the three kids following him, or the chaotic duel we'd just survived, or the power of the Numbers. No, the first thing you complained about was the Professor calling you 'sweetheart'."

Leah gasped.

"Not quite enough?" Dan grinned. "Alright then, another example. Let's see... ah, what about Skyler's duel with Doctor Lithon? If memory serves me – which it does, at last – they were dueling each other for the dubious honour of dueling one of us. While they were hammering away at each other, we could've snuck away. They were both insanely strong, and you were in no condition to duel. Yet you refused to leave. You wanted to watch the entire duel from start to finish. And why? Because you were interested in the outcome. You were actually having fun watching two psychopaths duel to decide who gets to come after us." He shook his head, still grinning. "Young lady, you are totally, utterly, wonderfully insane, and I've missed you so much."

Leah stared at him, her eyes shining, but otherwise giving nothing away. Matt smiled, waiting for the hugs, laughter, and maybe even tears that were sure to follow. In retrospect, he would realise that this was probably a bit short-sighted of him.

As it turned out, Leah initially had none of those things on her mind. Instead, she took a step forward and punched Dan in the arm, hard.

"Yow!" Dan cried, recoiling and clutching his arm in pain. "Geez... what was that for?"

"That's for losing your memory in the first place!" she shouted. She kept on coming, and swiftly landed another punch on his opposite shoulder, prompting another yelp of pain. "That's for calling me sweetie!" she yelled. "And this..." Dan clamped his eyes shut and cowered behind his outstretched arms, waiting for another punch.

It didn't come. Instead, he felt her duck under his protective stance, followed by a gentle pressure just below his shoulders. Peaking under his eyelids, he saw Leah right in front of him, finally giving him the hug he'd been missing out on for months.

"And this...?" he asked tentatively.

"And this is because I missed you too," she finished, smiling.

Dan laughed and returned the hug. Leah smiled contentedly, then a thought occurred to her, and she broke off. "How much do you actually remember?" she asked.

"Everything," Dan assured her. "Do you need more examp-"

"No no, I didn't mean that," she said, shaking her head. "I mean after your duel. How much do you remember from after dueling Skyler?"

"Oh, right," Dan nodded. "Same answer. I remember everything. Everything before that duel, everything since then, and even everything _during_ the duel." He shuddered. "Man, that was not a pleasant experience."

"Nor was it for any of us," Matt said, stepping forward. Then he grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back, man."

"Good to be back," Dan nodded.

Finally losing his patience, Lithon cleared his throat. "Enough of this. The punching was at least entertaining, but this endless display of emotional drivel is starting to bore me. Now do you accept my challenge or not?"

"Shush it. I'll be with you in a minute," Dan said. Lithon's eyes widened in outrage, but Dan had already turned back to Matt. "If they're still awake," he said. "Would you mind telling Katie and James that I'm ok now, and that I'll talk to them properly once the duel's over?"

"Of course," Matt nodded. "Come on Leah, we should get out of the way."

Leah started to follow, but then Lithon's voice made her stop. "You can wait right there. As a matter of fact, the duel I'm proposing is a little... different," he said.

"Different how?" she asked, turning to face him.

"How does a Tag Duel sound to you?"

"A Tag Duel?" Leah repeated, surprised. "So that's you and Kodoku against..."

"Against you and the boy," Lithon finished, indicating Dan. "If you remember, both of you have dueled me before, and both of you have taken Numbers from me. Additionally," he pointed at Leah, "you still possess the healing Number. Thus, by defeating you both in one duel, I can reacquire all of my Numbers at once with minimal effort, as well as the numerous others you happen to have on you."

Dan considered the proposition for a moment, then glanced at Leah. "What do you think?" he asked.

She grinned. "I think it's a great idea," she nodded. "As long as you think you're up to a duel right now."

Dan laughed. "Who do you think you're talking to?" he grinned, prompting a giggle from her. "Alright, Lithon, we accept your challenge."

"Splendid!" Lithon clapped his hands together in a business-like way, as the other duelists readied their gear. "Then let us waste no time getting started. We will duel using modified Tag Duel rules. As opposed to a Battle Royal duel, your teammate is considered to be your partner and _not_ your opponent. Duelists may confer with their partner, and even though each duelist has their own five-zone field, the fields of individual teams will be treated as the same field. For instance, you can use your cards to power up your partner's monsters as though you controlled them. You can also use your partner's monsters for Tributes, Xyz Material, etc, but only if they give permission for it. And finally, Life Points will not be shared. Each duelist will have a separate score of 4000, and the duel will end when both duelists on a team have their Life Points dropped to zero. Are you ready, Kodoku?"

"Yes sir!" the boy said excitedly, watching the augmented reality warp the area around them. Matt retreated to a safe distance.

_"AR Vision – link established."_

"DUEL!"

**Lithon LP:** 4000

**Kodoku LP:** 4000

**Dan LP: **4000

**Leah LP:** 4000

"The first move is mine," Lithon asserted. "I draw. To begin, I will Summon **Epignosai Lamedh**!" The monster that appeared was some sort of leopard with pitch-black fur, a distinct lack of eyes, and a gaping mouth filled with rows of teeth. Black tar dripped from its body, saturating its already black fur.

**Epignosai Lamedh: Beast-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800**

"Then I'll use Lamedh's effect. When it's Normal Summoned, I can banish any card with Epignosai in its name from my Deck. Obviously, I choose **Epignosai Pit**." He extracted the card from his Deck and immediately banished it.

Leah groaned. "Not that thing again."

"Indeed," Lithon smirked. "Now I activate the Spell Card, Light of the Shadows." The Spell Card appeared directly behind the black leopard. "With this, I can Special Summon any LIGHT monster from my Deck that has the same Level as a DARK monster on my field. I select **Epignosai Nun**." A small, pure white elginerpeton appeared, balanced precariously on its hind legs. Nothing resembling eyes or eye sockets was visible on its skull, but it did possess a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth. A white tarry substance clung to its scales.

**Epignosai Nun: Reptile-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1000**

"The downside to using Light of the Shadows is that I have to skip my Battle Phase for this turn," Lithon went on. "However, that isn't so much of a problem, what with it being the first turn and all. Now then, Level four Lamedh and Nun, Overlay!" The two vile monsters morphed into amorphous masses of energy – purple and yellow respectively – then shot upwards. Beneath them, a galaxy-shaped portal materialized. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" Both monsters flew into the portal, and an eruption of darkness spewed from it. "Arise, **Number 54: Curserider Chevalier**."

An orange number fifty-four flared into life on his left hand. From within the pillar of shadows came the demonic whinnying of a horse, which suddenly burst out of the shadows a moment later. It was pitch black, and was covered in dark grey armour which extended over its entire body, including its head, legs, and even its tail. The curious thing was that there was no rider, but just a lump of metal on its back like a camel's hump. Suddenly, the metal shifted, changing and reconfiguring, until it reformed itself into a fiendish warrior. It was completely encased by its terrifying armour – which sported a similar intimidating appearance to that of its steed – it carried a tremendously long battle-axe, and it had absolutely no visible feet. Instead, it seemed to be attached to the horse's back from the waist up. Two purple Overlay Units circled it.

**Number 54: Curserider Chevalier: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1900 – 2 OLU**

"Really? Haven't you got anything original to show Lithon?" Dan grinned. "That thing wasn't scary when Skyler Summoned it, and time has not been kind to it since then."

"Mock it to your heart's content, young man," Lithon smirked. "It serves its purpose. I end my turn there."

"My turn then, I draw!" As excited as Dan was to be dueling again, he refused to allow himself to get overexcited. He knew that acting recklessly against Lithon was a dangerous thing to do. _'The biggest problem is that banished Trap Card of his,' _he mused. _'As long as that's there, I can't Summon anything powerful without it getting banished.'_

"You ok Dan?" Leah asked anxiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her. "Just thinking. I'll Set one monster in Defence Position, plus two other face-down cards. Turn end." All three of his face-down cards appeared before him.

"My turn, draw!" Kodoku began his own turn in earnest. "First, I Normal Summon **Aquabot Guard**!" A massive tempered shield, constructed from the same gelatinous blue substance as all Aquabots, emerged. Inside it a series of circuitary flashed and buzzed away merrily. Emblazoned onto the front of the shield was a single line of text. It read CODE: (0z1D53![331D32.

**Aquabot Guard: Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1400/DEF 1000**

"Not these things again," Leah groaned. "Ritual Monsters that can be Normal Summoned... whoever came up with such an idea?"

"Hey, don't be mean to them. They're brilliant," Kodoku insisted. "I activate **Aquabot Guard**'s effect. When it's Normal Summoned, I can add any Aquabot Spell Card from my Deck to my hand, and then send one Aquabot monster from my Deck straight to the Graveyard. I'll put **Aquabot Liquid Armour** in my hand, and **Aquabot Clench** into my Graveyard."

"Dan, be careful," Leah warned him. "These things can-"

"I remember," he cut in. "I was there, you know." Leah smiled.

"Now I activate the Ritual Spell Card, **Aquabot Liquid Armour**!" The Spell Card appeared behind the defensive hulk on Kodoku's field. "This card lets me Ritual Summon any Aquabot Ritual Monster from my hand by Tributing monsters whose total Levels are equal to that monster's Level. I Tribute Gishki Vision." He showed them the card in his hand. "And due to Vision's effect, if it's being Tributed to Ritual Summon a WATER monster, I can use it as the entire Tribute, regardless of Level."

"Good Kodoku, that's the way," Lithon muttered, as Kodoku sent the card to his Graveyard.

"Come on out, **Aquabot Repair**!" Kodoku declared. In a burst of spectral lights a new monster appeared, formed from the same blue slime and controlled by layers of circuitary beneath its surface. This one, however, was humanoid in shape. It had a small remote controller in one hand, and the other hand... it wasn't really a hand at all, but instead a writhing mass of blue tentacles. Its line of text was printed onto its chest, and read CODE: 237/_/2/32.

**Aquabot Repair: Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 300**

Dan glanced furtively at one of his face-down cards. _'Not yet,' _he thought to himself. _'It's too soon. I mustn't use it until the right moment.'_

"Yes, that's perfect Kodoku!" Lithon shouted. "Now follow it through! Summon your original Number, now!"

Leah and Dan both gasped. Kodoku was likewise taken aback, and turned to his master. "Um, sir, is that a good idea?" he asked. "It's so early in the duel."

"I know what I'm doing Kodoku," Lithon snapped. "I don't want to waste any time in this duel. Now Summon your Number immediately."

Kodoku didn't hesitate a second longer. "Yes sir," he chirped. "Level three Guard and Repair, Overlay!" Both gelatinous monsters turned completely blue, their circuitry and defining characteristics disappearing. Then they sailed up into the air, clearing the way for another galaxy portal to open beneath them. "I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters spiralled down into the portal, which exploded with light. "Come on out, **Number 24: Friendship Demon**!"

A deep blue number twenty-four flared into life on Kodoku's right hand. Out of the portal rose a colossal teardrop-shaped object, constructed from clear glass, and filled with some sort of clear liquid. Suspended in the liquid was what appeared to be a child of some kind, fully clothed and curled over in the foetal position with his eyes closed. Quite suddenly, the teardrop shattered, spilling its contents across the field, and the bedraggled child dropped down in front of its master. Now that they could see it clearly, they saw contrast etched into every feature of its body. Its childish appearance was ruined by the presence of demonic, bat-like wings on its back. Its innocent smile showed off a line of sharp, threatening teeth. And its eyes... they weren't stoic like other Numbers, but instead seemed to betray an aura of innocence and deep, unbearable despair. Two pale blue orbs of light circled it, and the childish figure watched them with both a gentle curiosity and a passionate longing that ill-befitted a child.

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450 - 2 OLU**

* * *

Author-made cards:

Epignosai Lamedh (credit to Superjad)  
Beast-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1800  
When this card is Normal Summoned: Banish 1 "Epignosai" card from your Deck.

Epignosai Nun (credit to Superjad)  
Reptile-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
During either player's turn, if this card is currenly banished: You can return this card to the Graveyard, then target 1 card in your opponent's Graveyard; banish that target.

Aquabot Guard (credit to Superjad)  
Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1400/DEF 1000  
Can be Normal Summoned (from your hand). You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Aquabot" Ritual Spell Card. When this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Aquabot" Spell Card from your Deck to your hand and send 1 "Aquabot" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard. If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can Tribute this card you control, then target 2 cards on the field; destroy them. If the monster that was Ritual Summoned using this card destroys a monster by battle, the controller of the Ritual Monster draws 1 card.

Aquabot Repair (credit to Superjad)  
Machine-Type/Ritual/WATER/Level 3/ATK 500/DEF 300  
Can be Normal Summoned (from your hand). You can Ritual Summon this card with any "Aquabot" Ritual Spell Card. When this card is Normal Summoned: Target 1 banished "Aquabot" card; return it to the Graveyard. If this card is Ritual Summoned: You can Tribute this card you control, then target 2 of your banished "Aquabot" cards; return both targets to the hand. If this card is Tributed for a Ritual Summon: Target 1 of your banished "Aquabot" cards; return that target to the hand.

Number 54: Curserider Chevalier (credit to Dreamlord8025)  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1900  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. When an effect is activated in the hand or the Graveyard: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate that effect, and if you do, banish that card, then inflict 1500 damage to your opponent.

Aquabot Liquid Armour (credit to Superjad)  
Ritual Spell Card  
Ritual Summon 1 "Aquabot" Ritual Monster from your hand. You must also Tribute monsters from your hand and/or field whose total Levels equal the Level of that monster. If this card is in the Graveyard: You can banish 1 "Aquabot" card (except this card) from your Graveyard; shuffle this card from your Graveyard into the Deck.

* * *

**Fun Fact #89: Twofold rematch anyone?**

**Fun Fact #90: As it turns out, Leah still doesn't like being called sweetie. Don't call her sweetie.**

**Fun Fact #91: That's the joy of being on FanFictionDotNet rather than the YCM wiki. We can actually use words like demon, death, holy, god, Knuckler, etc, words which the TCG localizers have a mortal fear of. We'll obviously have to change it when we upload it to the wiki, but while it's on here, we can use its actual name (the one that Superjad gave it).  
**

**Fun Fact #92: Oh lord, someone save us! Superjad's cards are taking over the fic again!**

**Fun Fact #93: That shift with the Aquabots - from being based around Level 4 monsters to suddenly incorporating Level 3 monsters in order to Summon a Rank 3 Xyz Monster - is rather reminiscent of the Burning Knuckler's strange shift to using Level 3 monsters to Summon Cheat Commissioner. **


	26. Part 3: Ch 7

**Lithon LP:** 4000

**Number 54: Curserider Chevalier: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1900 – 2 OLU**

**Kodoku LP:** 4000

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450 - 2 OLU**

**Dan LP:** 4000

1 set monster

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 2 set cards

**Leah LP:** 4000

All three kids – Matt, Leah, and Dan – stared at Kodoku's new monster with a mixture of feelings. On the one hand, the creature was clearly deadly. On the other hand, it looked so helpless, so lonely and fragile, that they couldn't help but want to comfort it. Yet while Dan was staring the thing down, determined not to let it get the best of him, Leah was thinking something veery different. She was recalling what Lithon had told them such a long time ago, about how a person's original Number can tell a lot about what its owner is really like. Original Numbers were created out of a person's deepest desires, and adjusted their abilities and appearances accordingly with their host. Now, looking at this poor saddened creature, she couldn't help but ponder on what that told her about the cheerful boy standing behind it...

Dan was the first to snap out of it. _'Now's my chance!' _he realised. Without giving Kodoku time to continue, he triggered one of his face-down cards. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Demise of the Land!" His set card activated. "When an opponent's monster is Special Summoned, I can use this card to activate any Field Spell Card directly from my Deck. The card I choose is Ice Fire World!" As he activated the card, the field morphed into an icy prairie, with frozen sculptures surrounding them and a giant crack running across the centre of the field like an icy canyon. Inside the canyon, a river of light-blue flames were seething and churning.

"Hmm?" Lithon raised his eyebrows.

"Due to this card's effect," Dan explained, "any WATER monsters that a player uses for an Xyz Summon can be treated as two monsters rather than one."

"Yes yes, I'm familiar with the card's effect. I meant why would you even play it now?" Lithon queried. "You won't be able to make use of it until several turns have passed. Plus you run the risk of Kodoku abusing it in the meantime. So why bother?"

"He didn't play it for himself," Leah cut in, grinning. "He played it for us. For both of us."

Lithon scowled. "I see. You use a WATER Deck just like him, so you can both abuse the privileges of that card. He even waited until after Kodoku Xyz Summoned so that the chances of the effect being used against him would be minimal." The scowl quickly turned into a smirk. "Intriguing. It's nice to see that both of you are still as skilled as ever."

"I wish I could say the same about you," Leah smiled sweetly. "Your dueling is as predictable as last time."

"Predictable?" Lithon growled.

"She's right, you know. Why do you think I set my monster instead of going straight for an Xyz Summon?" Dan added. "You can't use the same trick on us twice Lithon."

"Enough," the scientist snapped. "Kodoku, finish your turn this second."

"Um, yes sir," Kodoku nodded. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my go," Leah grinned. "I draw. First, I Normal Summon **Borealis Tenshi**!" In a blaze of spectral lights, a serene angel descended onto the field. She wore a pure white dress, and a navy blue flower that sat neatly in her flowing, deep blue hair.

**Borealis Tenshi: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 700**

"Tenshi's effect activates," Leah declared. "Once per turn, this card allows me to Normal Summon any Spirit monster from my hand as an extra Normal Summon. I choose **Borealis Tatami**!" A rainbow-hued angel appeared, garbed in a simple white piece of cloth.

**Borealis Tatami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100**

"And next I'll use Tatami's effect," Leah went on. "When it's Normal Summoned, I can add any Borealis monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose **Borealis Leger**." She swiftly extracted the card from her Deck and placed it in her hand.

"Now!" Kodoku exclaimed, stopping her in her tracks. "I activate the effect of Friendship Demon!"

"What? During my turn?" Leah gasped.

"That's right," the schoolboy nodded. "This effect can be activated during either player's turn. It requires me to detach an Overlay Unit, but once I do, it lets me take a look at your Extra Deck." The childish Number snatched one of its Overlay Units out of the air, clutching it between its hands like it was the most precious thing in the world.

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

"Then," Kodoku went on, "if I find any Xyz Monsters in there, I can force you to Xyz Summon one of those monsters to your field. I also get to choose which Xyz Material Monsters you use to Summon it." Leah stood in stunned silence as a list of fifteen names came up on Kodoku's D-Gazer. He cycled through them, stopping to examine the stats of some, and completely ignoring others.

"Well, Kodoku," Lithon said after an appropriate pause. "Let's get straight down to collecting data. How many Number monsters does this girl have?"

"Seven," came the reply.

"Hmm, a decent quantity," Lithon nodded. "Very well. How many Rank four Xyz Monsters does she have? And how many of those are Numbers?"

"Um... there are four here," Kodoku replied. "Three regular Xyz Monsters and one Number."

Lithon nodded expectantly. "I'll go out on a limb and assume that the Number is **Number 10: Terra Storm**. What about the rest of them?"

"Abyss Dweller, Vylon Disigma, and Fairy Cheer Girl."

"Intruiging," Lithon said. "Alright Kodoku, ignore the other Xyz Monsters and force her to Summon the Number. Oh, and don't use the effect of Ice Fire World to-"

"I know sir," the boy nodded. "Go! Level four **Borealis Tenshi** and **Borealis Tatami**, Overlay!"

"No!" Leah cried, as both her monsters shot upwards and away from her in their blue energy forms. Then, Kodoku's Number drew its arm back and tossed its Overlay Unit at Leah's field like a baseball. There was a flash of light as it hit the ground. The orb dissipated, but not before a galaxy-shaped portal was forcefully opened where it had struck.

"I use these two monsters to make you construct the Overlay Network!" Kodoku declared. "Xyz Summon!" The two bolts of energy flew down into the depths of the portal, which exploded, whipping up a mighty gale. "Out you come, **Number 10: Terra Storm**!"

The yellow number ten etched itself onto the back of her right hand. From out of the portal rose a small brown rock, no larger than a beach ball. But it was spinning... spinning on its axis at an impossible speed, drawing the blustering winds and dust around it in a spiral shape. The scything currents slowly began to rip up pieces of grass and dirt, which were hurled into the core of the tornado, and pressed against the small rock, which was slowly getting bigger as more and more substance was added to it. Finally, once its bulk filled most of the tornado, a pair of large grey eyes opened on the front of the giant boulder that had formed. The yellow number ten was printed onto the boulder's surface, just below the eyes, and two green Overlay Units circled it, seemingly unaffected by the winds.

**Number 10: Terra Storm: Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600 – 2 OLU**

Leah groaned. "I don't believe this..." she muttered. "With Ice Fire World I could've turned each of those monsters into separate Xyz Monsters."

"I know," Kodoku repeated. "But you can't now. Since I got to choose the Materials, I chose to use both of them without the effect of the Field Spell."

"It gets better," Lithon grinned. "I'm not even allowing you to keep that! I activate the effect of my banished Trap Card, **Epignosai Pit**!" A ghostly image of the card appeared behind him. "By returning this banished card to my Graveyard, this card banishes one monster you attempt to Summon." As if in response, a portal opened up directly behind the Number. Black and white tendrils reached out of the portal and wrapped themselves around Terra Storm, piercing through the blustering gale as if it wasn't even there. The tendrils then dragged it backwards into the portal. As the Number disappeared from view completely, the portal shrank down to a small orb of light, which disappeared with a small crack. The two green Overlay Units, now useless, dissipated into particles of light. "And thus, your field is... completely..."

He trailed off as he realised that Leah wasn't looking unhappy or exasperated anymore. On the contrary, she look positively cheerful. She turned to Dan and grinned at him. "So did you get a good idea of its effect?" she asked. "Think you can handle it when your turn comes?"

"You betcha," Dan grinned back.

"Good stuff," she nodded. "I place two cards face-down. Turn end." Her set cards appeared.

"My turn again, I draw," Lithon said, staring at the two suspiciously, but still not feeling overly worried. "I activate the Spell Card, Space Cyclone. With it, I can detach an Overlay Unit from any monster on the field. I choose Curserider Chevalier." A sudden gust of wind picked up and swept away one of the knight's purple orbs of light.

**Number 54: Curserider Chevalier: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

"Eh? Why did you do that sir?" Kodoku asked.

"To make this next move worthwhile," Lithon replied. "I Summon **Epignosai Kaph**!" A globule of black tar spread across the ground, and out of it rose a strange creature. It had the head and torso of a human (with the same gaping mouth and lack of eyes that the other Epignosai monsters had), but instead of legs, its black skin stretched down into roots, very similar to a tree. Black tar ran in streaks down its body, and from its wrists there were some sharp protruding petals, which resembled cuffs.

**Epignosai Kaph: Plant-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500**

"I activate **Epignosai Kaph**'s effect." Lithon declared. "During my Main Phase, I can use this effect to banish any two Epignosai cards from my Graveyard. However, I can't use this effect again for the remainder of the duel. I choose **Epignosai Nun** and **Epignosai Pit**."

Dan let out a groan as Lithon banished the cards. "Not again. Now I have to deal with that Trap Card too?"

"Indeed," Lithon nodded. "There is no escaping from my lockdown once it commences. Now then, battle! **Epignosai Kaph**, attack the boy's face-down monster!" The plant monster opened its mouth wide in a soundless cry, then swung its arm around, hurling a series of razor-sharp black leaves at Dan's field. His set card flipped over, revealing a beige, insectoid dragon monster. The petals sliced past it, and it gave a single pained screech before exploding.

Delta Flyer: Dragon-Type/Tuner/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 900

"Curserider Chevalier, follow up with a direct attack on the girl!" The demonic knight charged forward on its steed, and lashed out with its massive battle axe. Leah brought her duel disk up to defend. The sound of metal striking metal echoed across the field, and Leah staggered back under the tremendous weight of the attack.

**Leah LP: **4000 → 1800

Lithon smirked as his monster cantered back to his field. "Pathetic," he muttered. "I end my turn with that."

"Back to me then," Dan nodded. "I draw. First, I Normal Summon **Polaris Dragon Yve**!" The dragon that appeared this time more closely resembled a wyvern, with only two wings and a sharp nose, and no front feet. It was blue with black traces outlining its body.

**Polaris Dragon Yve: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 300**

He glanced over at Kodoku. "Anything from you?" he asked. "Want to force me to Xyz Summon something yet?"

Kodoku shook his head. "Not yet. You won't trick me that easily."

Lithon, on the other hand, was frowning. _'No…' _he thought to himself. _'Something's wrong. Back when I dueled the girl, she tricked me in a similar way. She kept on Summoning weaker monsters, and I, anticipating an Xyz Summon, allowed her to build up. But instead, she pulled out a pseudo-God card, one that was immune to my Trap Cards, and wiped me out. Maybe this boy is fooling Kodoku in the same way.' _He smirked. _'Let's see if you pick up on it Kodoku.'_

"If you say so," Dan nodded. "I activate the Spell Card, Ice Mirror! This card allows me to Special Summon a monster from my Deck that has the same name as a Level three or lower WATER Attribute monster on my field. So I Summon another **Polaris Dragon Yve**!" A second wyvern-esque creature appeared to join the first.

**Polaris Dragon Yve: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 300**

"Now's the moment!" Kodoku butted in. "I activate Friendship Demon's effect!" Once again, the innocent-looking Number reached up and plucked its last remaining blue orb out of the air.

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

A slight pause followed as Kodoku scrolled down the new list of monsters. Some he lingered on, some he passed straight by, and some he stopped and openly stared at. Dan assumed that it was something like Alpha Centauri that had caught his eye.

"Satisfied Kodoku?" Lithon asked. "How about you tell me how many Numbers this boy has?"

"Nine, sir."

"So a total of sixteen between them. Not a bad amount at all. Alright then, how many Rank three monsters are there?"

"Three sir."

"And they are?"

Kodoku scrolled back up the list. "There's one called **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**, another called **Polaris Dragon Lord Skhultsar**, and one more called **Number 3: Comet the Skylord**."

"Hmm... two Numbers..." Lithon considered his options. _'I have seen Comet in battle before, so I can capture it whether or not he Summons it during this duel. Glacial Dragon remains an enigma to me, so it is off limits to my extraction technique. Nonetheless, I remember Comet's powers from my last duel with this boy. It pains me to do so, but I cannot allow that Number to remain a threat. It must be purged right now.'_ Nodding, he raised his voice. "Kodoku, select Comet the Skylord!"

"Got it sir," the boy nodded, before turning his grinning face back to Dan. "You ready for this?"

"Bring it!" Dan retorted.

"Alright!" Kodoku raised his hand. "I use the effect of Ice Fire World, treating both of your WATER monsters as two Xyz Material Monsters." As if on cue, two jets of pale blue fire sailed out of the crevice that still separated them, and enveloped the two icy dragons. "Now, both Level three **Polaris Dragon Yve**s, Overlay!" From out of the blue flames, four dark blue bolts of energy shot up into the air. Where they had stood, a galaxy portal opened. "I use these two monsters, treated as four monsters, to make you construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The four energy signatures chased each other down into the spiralling depths, which exploded with light. "Get over here! **Number 3: Comet the Skylord**!"

The pure white number zero-three flashed onto Dan's hand. The rays of light from the portal parted, and out of it rose a white and grey asteroid with spiral patterns on either side, and a large metal halo floating just above it. With a shower of glowing dust, the asteroid split down the middle, and four wings unfurled themselves from inside. The wings looked like they were made of something impossibly smooth, and seemed to be reflecting a swirling rainbow pattern. Its body was a small diamond shape, enclosed on either side by the two spiral-patterned domes that had been its shell. Behind it was the halo, which was now fixed to the monster's back rather than above its head. All in all, the monster looked like some sort of synthetic, angelic insect. Two green orbs of light flew around it.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000 – 2 OLU**

"And as quickly as it comes, it goes again!" Lithon declared. "I activate the effect of my banished **Epignosai Pit**! By placing this card back in my Graveyard, that accursed Number is banished!" Once again, a black portal opened up behind Dan, and a swarm of black and white tendrils dragged his flailing Number into oblivion. "Do you see now how pointless your endeavours are?" he went on, turning to face Leah. "Let's be blunt about things young lady - you were predetermined to lose this duel ever since our first duel. And in doing so, you're dragging your friend down with you."

"Our first duel?" Leah repeated. "I'm not sure I get your meaning."

"Well, you Summoned your original Number, did you not? And that's one thing you should never ever show, for, you see, that Number is based upon your very soul. Only an idiot wouldn't realise that - especially as I gave you this very information before - and by showing it to me, you have torn away every single thing that keeps me away from the precious little secrets you keep hidden from the world; your deepest thoughts, your darkest secrets, your way of living and thinking and dueling... I know all of them. I know you more than even you do, and it's all because of one. Tiny. Little. Card. And I will never forget what I learned that day. And nor will you."

* * *

Author-made cards:

Borealis Tenshi  
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 700  
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. Once per turn: You can Normal Summon 1 Spirit monster (except "Borealis Tenshi") from your hand as an additional Normal Summon, but it cannot attack that turn.

Borealis Tatami  
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1700/DEF 1100  
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: Add 1 "Borealis" monster from your Deck to your hand.

Epignosai Kaph (credit to Superjad)  
Plant-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500  
You can target 2 "Epignosai" cards in your Graveyard; banish them. Each player can only use the effect of "Epignosai Kaph" once per Duel.

Number 54: Curserider Chevalier (credit to Dreamlord8025)  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1900  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. When an effect is activated in the hand or the Graveyard: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate that effect, and if you do, banish that card, then inflict 1500 damage to your opponent.

Number 24: Friendship Demon (credit to Superjad)  
Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; look at your opponent's Extra Deck, and if they have any Xyz Monsters there, Xyz Summon 1 of those monsters from their Extra Deck to their field, using appropriate face-up monster(s) they control as the Xyz Material Monster(s).

Number 10: Terra Storm (credit to Superjad)  
Rock-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 4/ATK 1500/DEF 2600  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card can attack while in face-up Defence Position. If this card would be destroyed, you can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card instead. During your next Battle Phase after this effect was used, this card can attack your opponent directly, and if the effect was used more than once since your last Battle Phase, this card's maximum number of attacks this turn is equal to the number of times that effect was used since your last Battle Phase.

Number 3: Comet the Skylord  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000  
4 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up Effect Card on the field; destroy that target, then this card gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase. When this card destroys an Xyz Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Draw 1 card for each Overlay Unit attached to this card.

Epignosai Pit (credit to Superjad)  
Trap Card  
Cannot be banished (except by the effect of an "Epignosai" card). When your opponent Summons a monster while this card is banished: You can return this card to the Graveyard; banish the Summoned monster.

* * *

**Fun Fact #94: And here we have yet another interesting concept that ZEXAL barely touches on. Original Numbers are the physical manifestation of a person's very soul, and of their deepest desires, so it makes sense that you could glean a lot from seeing it. ZEXAL could do so much more with this idea, but like so many other things, they just push it to one side in the name of MOAR ACTION. Action isn't the only way to make a story engaging. If you're not going to use this idea ZEXAL, then we will. So there.**

******Fun Fact #95: The word 'Tenshi' is the Japanese word for 'angel'.**

******Fun Fact #96: ZEXAL needs to hurry up and explain Astral's powers already. In Episode 102, Number 96 told Astral that he could no longer absorb him now that he had transformed into a Chaos Number. And yet, Astral has absorbed Chaos Numbers before, like Shark's one (offscreen yes, but it was definitely in Astral's possession a few episodes later). Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Number 96 ranked up Number 96 with Barian's Force rather than by the traditional method. But if that's true, then wouldn't that apply to Number 65 as well? And if so, doesn't that mean that Astral can never obtain the Numeron Code, since he can't gather the seven Ruins' Numbers due to Number 65 being unabsorbable? (Yes, that is a word.) What's the betting that ZEXAL leaves these questions completely unanswered?**


	27. Part 3: Ch 8

**Lithon LP:** 4000

**Number 54: Curserider Chevalier: Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1900 – 1 OLU**

**Epignosai Kaph: Plant-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500**

**Kodoku LP:** 4000

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450 - 0 OLU**

**Dan LP: **4000

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Ice Fire World [Field Card], 1 set card

**Leah LP:** 1800

Spell & Trap Card Zone: 2 set cards

Leah shuddered. She couldn't help it. Knowing that this man could have gleaned so much information about her made her feel violated. It wasn't that dissimilar to how she'd felt when her Number had first possessed her. She felt as if Lithon had wrenched at something deep inside her soul, a place he had no right to be. She glanced away, unable to even look the scientist in the eye.

"Hey, are you ok?" Dan called out, his voice snapping her back to her senses.

"Yeah, um... yeah..." she said shakily.

"Don't let what he said get to you," he assured her. "Remember, you've changed since that Number was created. You've grown up, experienced more, leant more... don't you see? The things that Lithon was saying may have been true for the girl who made that Number, but you're not her anymore. So don't start letting empty words like his weigh you down, ok?"

Leah nodded, and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. She still felt shaken, but there would be a time for mental breakdowns later. The battlefield was not the place for that.

"You can keep telling her that if you want," Lithon snorted. "Personally I wouldn't bother. She may have changed, but her dueling skill is as consistent as the first time I dueled her."

"Yeah, you just keep on telling yourself that Lithon," Dan muttered. "Now may I finish my move?"

"By all means," Lithon smirked.

"Alright then," Dan nodded. "First things first, I need to take out Curserider. Let's see..." He selected an option on his D-Gazer, then used it to scan Leah's face-down cards. His eyes lit up as he saw what the second one was. "Ah, that'll do. Leah, can you help me out here?"

By this point, Leah had finally regained her composure after Lithon's taunts. She turned to him and nodded. "What's mine is yours."

"And likewise," he smiled.

She smiled back, then turned to her opponents and immediately triggered one of her face-downs. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card, Miraculous Descent!" The Trap Card flipped up. "With this, I can bring back one of my banished Fairy-Type monsters back to my field."

"Eh?" Kodoku said, confused. "But you don't have any banished Fairy monsters. The only banished card you have is Terra Storm, and that's a Rock-Type."

"Kodoku, use your head," Lithon snapped. "She doesn't have any Fairy monsters, but her partner does."

"Haha, well done, you figured it out," Leah laughed. "You set this up as a Tag Duel, which means that fields, Graveyards, and even banished cards are shared among partners. That means I can target one of Dan's cards to revive. So come on back, **Number 3: Comet the Skylord**!" The pure white number three blazed its way onto the back of her hand as the cosmic Number monster revived itself behind its new master.

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000 – 0 OLU**

Dan nodded with satisfaction, then took a card from his own hand to play. "I activate the Equip Spell Card, Xyz Jewelled Crown. Equip to Comet!" The halo fixed above the monster suddenly lit up pure white. As the light faded, the simple ring seemed to morph into a colossal crown, half gold and half silver, and festooned with green jewels of all different sizes. A single large red gem was embedded in the front of the crown. "With this," Dan was explaining, "the equipped Xyz Monster's Rank is changed into a Level."

**Number 3: Comet the Skylord: Rank 3 **→** Level 3**

"Additionally, if it's used as an Xyz Material Monster, it can be treated as two monsters rather than one," he went on. "However, due to the way you've set this up, I can't use monsters my partner controls without their permission." He turned to face Leah and put on a ridiculously posh voice. "Pardon my intrusion ma'am, but this is a matter of the utmost urgency. Would you mind awfully if I were to borrow your cosmic monstrosity, m'lady?"

"Hmm... after deepest consideration, we approve of this," Leah replied, giving a mock curtsy. "Do as you will, brave knight." The pair of them cracked up laughing, as the hilarity of each other's accents proved too much for them.

Matt stared incredulously at the giggling duo. "Seriously?" he muttered. "Are they really joking around in a situation like this?"

"Not to hurry you along or anything," Lithon growled. "But this doesn't seem very productive, and I have better things to do with my day than stand around watching a pair of clearly idiotic teenagers mess about. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Leah giggled, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye. As she straightened up, she marvelled at the effect that happiness could have. That simple joy of being able to laugh with her friends again had blown away the sense of violation that Lithon had instilled in her, and returned her facilities to a more positive state.

Dan, likewise, seemed cheered up by the ridiculousness of the exchange. "Alright then, this is going to be risky, but I might as well try," he said. "Level three Comet the Skylord, Overlay!" The Number lit up a bright green colour, then split neatly down the middle into two mirrored pieces. Each half separated and shot upwards, abandoning its original structure, as a galaxy-shaped portal opened up beneath them. "I use this monster, treated as two monsters, to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The single material monster, manifested as two monsters, spiralled down into the portal, which erupted with light. "Appear, **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**."

A blue number sixty-eight flared over the field and etched itself onto the back of his right hand, as out of the residue of the portal rose a massive dragon egg. It was black, white, and light-blue, and its texture was far from smooth, with a bumpy surface and regular gaps where a scaly skin was visible. With a loud crack, the egg split down the middle and began to divide, showering the field with lumps of ice. More ice shattered as the creature inside uncurled itself from the egg, and split the egg further by spreading its wings. The ground was soon littered with chunks of ice. With a final effort, the dragon finally uncurled itself completely – revealing that the egg had really been its curled-up body covered in ice – and flapped its wings once, brushing the duelists with an icy wind. The dragon had a black and white snake-like body with light blue highlights, a tail with a membrane on the end much like a fish, two long whiskers curling away from its nose - both drifting about in the breeze - and piercing teal eyes. The blue number sixty-eight was imprinted on its forehead, and it was orbited by a single blue Overlay Unit.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 1 OLU**

Lithon's D-Gazer instantly flashed up a warning and started beeping madly at the sight of the dragon. "Unbelievable..." Lithon breathed, staring up at the new monster. "So Number 68 wasn't just any Number... it was the boy's original!" With barely contained excitement, he expertly selected a few functions on his D-Gazer to activate – functions that would collect information on this monster and store it for him to examine at his leisure.

"Keep your mind in the game Lithon!" Dan called. He knew exactly what the scientist was doing, and he didn't want to give him any time to analyse his data. "Battle! Glacial Dragon, attack Curserider Chevalier!"

Lithon frowned and allowed his hand to fall away from his D-Gazer. "Since your monster isn't even half as strong as mine, I assume it has some sort of effect," he said.

"You assume right," Dan nodded. "I activate Glacial Dragon's effect. By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can increase its ATK by the ATK that the detached Overlay Unit had when it was a monster." The single blue orb of light broke orbit and spiralled into the gem on the dragon's head.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"That Overlay Unit was Comet the Skylord, which had 2300 ATK. So all of those attack points are now transferred to my new monster."

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: 1000 **→** 3300**

"Glacial Dragon, wipe that thing out!" The dragon charged a pure white sphere of light between its jaws, then fired an icy ray of light towards Curserider. The demonic knight was struck head on by the beam, and exploded without a sound. Its steed, however, had time for a single whiny of terror before the frozen shockwave consumed it too.

**Lithon LP:** 4000 → 2900

Dan gave a contented sigh and gazed up at his dragon. "Now that sure brings back memories," he smiled. "Not all pleasant ones, but still memories, which is kind of its own reward. Now then, I place one card face-down. Turn end." His set card appeared next to his first one.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: 3300 **→** 1000**

"My turn, I draw!" The earnestness with which Kodoku began his turn made everyone, including Lithon, think that the boy was about to perform some sort of spectacular turnaround, with an overabundance of Ritual Summons. If they were hoping for such, however, they were quickly disappointed. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Back to me then," Leah grinned. "I draw. I Normal Summon **Borealis Leger**!" A white-garbed, rainbow-hued angel appeared, carrying a bow and arrow.

**Borealis Leger: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 600**

"I activate Leger's effect," she declared. "When it's Normal Summoned, one targeted Spirit monster I control has its Level increased by one. I'll have it target itse-"

"Chain!" Kodoku shouted, startling her. "In chain to the effect, I activate the Trap Card, Xyz Drop!" His recently set card activated. "This card lets me target one Xyz Monster I control, then attach this card to that monster as a brand new Overlay Unit. I target Friendship Demon!" The Trap Card shrunk down into a small blue orb of light, then darted upwards and settled into orbit around the Number.

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: 0 **→** 1 OLU**

**Borealis Leger: Level 4 **→ **5**

Leah groaned. "Oh no, I can see where this is going."

"I activate Friendship Demon's effect," Kodoku went on. "I detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can force you to Xyz Summon a monster of my choice."

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

Once again, the duel came to a brief halt as Kodoku went down the list of monsters once again. Leah eyed the boy nervously. She had a feeling she knew which one he was going to choose, but that wasn't why she was nervous. He was looking for Rank five monsters now, which meant he'd be sure to find her secret weapon. And if he told Lithon about it...

"Well Kodoku?" Lithon said.

"Um... there are four Rank five monsters here," Kodoku answered. "But only two of them can be Summoned. The others need three Xyz Material Monsters rather than two."

"I see," the scientist nodded. "Your analytical skills are improving Kodoku. I'm impressed." The boy beamed back. "So, which two Xyz Monsters can we choose from?"

"There's one called Tiras, Keeper of Genesis," Kodoku read out. "And the other one is called **Number 17: Passion Aurora**."

"Aha!" Lithon nodded immediately. "Yes, that one... that Number must not be allowed to see the light of day. Not yet. Not until my final soldier is in place."

"So I should Summon the other one?"

"Yes boy, but be sure to Summon it in Defence Position," Lithon nodded. "While not as strong as the Number, that monster is still dangerous. I don't want it attacking me quite yet."

"Got it sir," Kodoku said cheerily. "Now, I apply the effect of Ice Fire World to **Borealis Leger**, treating it as two Material Monsters." A globule of pale blue fire shot out of the crevice separating the dueling teams and enveloped the angel. "Level five Leger, Overlay!" Almost immediately, two bolts of blue energy darted out of the flames and into the sky. The remnants of the fire were then sucked into the circular red portal that opened underneath them. "I use this monster, treated as two monsters, to make you construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon." The two bolts of energy spiralled down into the portal, which erupted with light. "Out you come! Tiras, Keeper of Genesis!" From within the curtain of light an angelic warrior emerged. Its skin, clothes and hair were pure white, it carried a sword and shield, and it was supported in the air by two lustrous golden wings. A single yellow Overlay Unit orbited it.

Tiras, Keeper of Genesis: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2600/DEF 1900 – 1 OLU

By this point, Leah was less worried about losing control of her Xyz Summons. She was used to it by now. Instead, she was more concerned with Kodoku – specifically, the information he possessed. He'd looked through her Extra Deck twice now, so he must have seen her Chaos Number. Indeed, he'd gotten dangerously close to revealing that secret weapon to Doctor Lithon. But why hadn't he? Was he purposefully keeping the secret from his master? Or was it just that he didn't know what a Chaos Number was, and hadn't thought it was worth mentioning? But if that was the case, why hadn't Lithon told him about them? Something didn't add up.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," she murmured. She was so lost in thought that she barely registered as Tiras' effect caused it to shed its only Overlay Unit.

Tiras, Keeper of Genesis: 1 → 0 OLU

"My turn, draw!" Lithon barely even glanced at his drawn card. "I think the games with Kodoku's Number, and my own mind games with your original Numbers, have gone on long enough. It's time for me to put an end to this duel." He grinned at his opponents – a wide, ambitious grin. "Now then, my children. Let the descent into chaos begin."

* * *

Author-made cards:

Epignosai Kaph (credit to Superjad)  
Plant-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500  
You can target 2 "Epignosai" cards in your Graveyard; banish them. Each player can only use the effect of "Epignosai Kaph" once per Duel.

Borealis Leger  
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 600  
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 face-up Spirit monster you control; that target gains 1 Level.

Number 54: Curserider Chevalier (credit to Dreamlord8025)  
Warrior-Type/Xyz/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2200/DEF 1900  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. When an effect is activated in the hand or the Graveyard: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate that effect, and if you do, banish that card, then inflict 1500 damage to your opponent.

Number 24: Friendship Demon (credit to Superjad)  
Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; look at your opponent's Extra Deck, and if they have any Xyz Monsters there, Xyz Summon 1 of those monsters from their Extra Deck to their field, using appropriate face-up monster(s) they control as the Xyz Material Monster(s).

Number 3: Comet the Skylord  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/WIND/Rank 3/ATK 2300/DEF 2000  
4 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up Effect Card on the field; destroy that target, then this card gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase. When this card destroys an Xyz Monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Draw 1 card for each Overlay Unit attached to this card.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster until the End Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #97: This is a Tag Duel where three out of four duelists use WATER Decks. Did you honestly expect us not to abuse Ice Fire World? Again?  
**

**Fun Fact #98: Hmm. I wonder what Lithon meant when he says "descent into chaos". How does the concept of 'chaos' relate to him? I haven't the foggiest idea. This is clearly the biggest mystery and the most effective cliffhanger in this entire story!**

**Fun Fact #99: So, we're just going to go completely off topic for a second. Does everyone remember Matt's Story? Yes? Good. Well, it transpires that Matt's real-life counterpart actually based a lot of Matt's struggles on similar struggles suffered by a girl named Kotori Shirakawa. If you haven't seen the anime in which she appears, then we highly suggest you go watch it - it's a very good show. Once you have, you'll see just how Matt's trials relate to Kotori's, plus how his end result is so similar to hers, despite the vast differences in their characters and the universes in which their characters originated.  
**


	28. Part 3: Ch 9

**Lithon LP:** 2900

**Epignosai Kaph: Plant-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500**

**Kodoku LP:** 4000

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450 - 0 OLU**

**Dan LP:** 4000

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 0 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Ice Fire World [Field Card], 2 set cards

**Leah LP:** 1800

Tiras, Keeper of Genesis: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2600/DEF 1900 – 0 OLU

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Miraculous Descent [no target], 2 set cards

_'Alright,'_ Lithon mused. _'I have one banished card, and the girl also has one. That makes two… no, that isn't enough. I need at least five, so I suppose I'll have to gamble a bit with this move.' _With barely-disguised anticipation, he took a card from his hand and activated it. "I play the Spell Card, Remove Bomb. With this, I banish the top five cards from my Deck, and then inflict 300 points of damage to my opponent for each Monster Card that was banished this way." In one swift movement, he pulled the top five cards off of his Deck and glanced at them.

"What did you get, sir?" Kodoku asked.

"Ah," Lithon said with a contented smirk. "It seems luck is on my side." He flipped the cards around for all to see. Among them was Nihilistic Summoning Technique, **Epignosai He**, Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning, **Epignosai Typhoon**, and **Epignosai Zayin**. "I count a total of three monsters, so I'll inflict 900 damage to the boy!" All of a sudden, a row of three mines seemed to erupt from the ground in front of Dan. He covered his face and staggered back.

**Dan LP:** 4000 → 3100

"Unfortunately," Lithon went on, "**Epignosai Typhoon** can only be banished by the effect of an Epignosai card. So while my other four cards are banished, this one must remain in my Deck." He casually placed one of the cards back, then banished the other four. "Now I Normal Summon **Epignosai Waw**!" A skeletal, borderline-emaciated dragon appeared, with thick white tar dripping from its pale body. It looked both feral and famished, even without eyes to express itself - its gaping mouth filled with teeth did all the expression for it.

**Epignosai Waw: Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 400/DEF 400**

"Now, Level four **Epignosai Waw** and **Epignosai Kaph**, Overlay!" The plant and the dragon morphed into fully purple and yellow masses of energy, and shot into the air. A galaxy-shaped portal opened up on Lithon's field. "I use these two LIGHT and DARK-Attribute monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two monsters sailed into the portal, which exploded. "Arise, **Number 89: Blacklight Prototype**!"

A beige number eighty-nine appeared on the front of Lithon's neck, stretching across his throat like a ghastly tattoo. From out of the portal rose a grey cube. It was crackling with static, and chunks of it were missing in places. Everything about it looked incomplete. With a grinding noise, the cube folded outwards, forming the shape of some sort of humanoid, all though it resembled an alien more than anything else. Its skin was grey and leathery, and it was pulsating with a faint glow like cooling magma. There were absolutely no facial features, not even eyes of a mouth. In fact, the only noticeable features on its body – besides the glowing beige number eighty-nine on its shoulder – were its wings. One of them was like a crow's wing, black and feathery, with a white crystal orb at the tip. The other wing was white, and resembled a leathery bat's wing, with a black orb at the tip. The creature made no noise as it settled in front of Lithon. Two yellow Overlay Units orbited it.

**Number 89: Blacklight Prototype: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900 – 2 OLU**

"And due to its effect," Lithon added. "As long as it's on the field, it's also treated as a DARK Fiend-Type monster." One of the yellow Overlay Units gained a purple tint.

**Number 89: Blacklight Prototype: Fairy-Type **→** Fairy-Type/Fiend-Type**

**Number 89: Blacklight Prototype: LIGHT **→** LIGHT/DARK**

"Hang on," Dan gasped. "That Number, plus five banished cards, equals..."

"Equals something really bad," Leah finished.

"I use **Number 89: Blacklight Prototype** and its Overlay Units to reconstruct the Overlay Network!" With more grinding, Number 89 began to revert back into its grey pulsating cube, its Overlay Units continuing to circle it. Beneath it, another galaxy portal appeared, and the entire cube descended into it, along with its glowing orbs of light. The portal erupted outwards with light. "Chaos Xyz Change!" Lithon cried. A maelström of black and white particles of light erupted from the portal. "Appear before us! **Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos**!"

The beige number eighty-nine around Lithon's neck crackled with energy, then shattered, revealed a pulsating, much darker version of the symbol. Nothing rose out of the portal yet, but five smaller portals opened up in a circle around it, and fired five beams of pure energy into the vortex. It swirled faster and faster, throwing off pure light in all directions, before exploding completely. From within, a new spinning cube appeared. This one was visually similar to the previous cube, and folded out into a very similar-looking monster... except, the feel of the creature had completely changed. Instead of being a dull pulsating grey, it now blazed with a radiance that hurt the eyes of any who stared at it for too long, yet also managed to give off an aura darker than anything they'd ever seen. It had also gained the bodily features of a human, including piercing eyes that held no emotion whatsoever, which gave a real sense of just how artificial it was. The monster was now whole, seamless, complete. It was encircled by three yellow orbs of light, but their glow was overshadowed by the creatures blinding radiance.

**Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900 – 3 OLU**

Dan gritted his teeth. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen," he muttered. "I was hoping that we'd have won this duel before that thing came out."

"And what did you imagine you'd achieve by hoping?" Lithon laughed. "This is where we differ. I'm a scientist, boy! I don't have to hope I can accomplish things, I simply accomplish them. I deal in facts, not faith. So perhaps you should-" He stopped abruptly, as he realised that the boy was smiling at him. "What are you grinning about?"

"Oh, nothing much," Dan smiled. "It's just... well... it feels so good to be dueling like this again. Dueling alongside my best friend with my other friends watching, fighting off a tough enemy and his powerful Numbers – this is the sort of stuff I live for! And to top it all off, how I get to fight one of the Chaos Numbers! You have no idea how amazing this is!"

"You what?" Lithon said incredulously. "You can't possibly be having fun at a time like this, foolish boy! And what do you mean 'one of the Chaos Numbers'? Don't you understand? There aren't any others! Only I have unlocked the secret of their power, and only I have what it takes to wield such a power. That makes me stronger than all of you combined."

"Oh?" Dan grinned. "How so?"

"Chaos Numbers exist on a higher plane, far above that of regular Numbers," Lithon explained. "It's like comparing regular Xyz Monsters to Numbers. There's just no contest. And now, I can prove it." He raised his hand dramatically. "First, like its previous form, Synthetic Chaos gains a DARK Attribute and a Fiend Typing."

**Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: Fairy-Type **→** Fairy-Type/Fiend-Type**

**Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: LIGHT **→** LIGHT/DARK**

"Now I'll use Synthetic Chaos' real effect! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, one card on your field will be banished until my next Standby Phase." One of the yellow orbs of light sank into the monster's skin.

**Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: 3 **→** 2 OLU**

"The card I target..." Lithon considered for a moment, before pointing authoritatively at Leah's field. "... is Tiras, Keeper of Genesis!" A larger-than-average portal opened up above the angelic paladin, and tendrils shot out and ensnared it, dragging it into the different dimension. Strangely, Leah seemed not to even notice. She was staring off into the distance as though she was trying to figure out the solution to a complicated maths problem.

"Um, Leah...?" Matt said worriedly.

"Now I activate Synthetic Chaos' effect again, detaching another Overlay Unit to banish the boy's Number, thus leaving your field clear!" A second Overlay Unit disappeared just like the first, sinking into the Chaos Number's skin.

**Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

Dan winced in pain as Glacial Dragon was dragged into the portal just like Tiras. Knowing that that jolt of pain was coming never seemed to make it hurt any less.

"Battle!" Lithon declared. "Synthetic Chaos, finish the girl off! Attack her directly!" The monster spread its arms wide, as if to embrace the world. And still Leah didn't seem to notice.

"Leah, watch out!" Dan shouted.

Suddenly startled out of her thoughts, Leah gasped and looked around. The light emanating from the Number's body grew brighter and brighter, blinding the spectators and the other duelists. Leah took another desperate second to compose herself before finally triggering her defence.

"I activate the Trap Card, Half Shield!" she declared, causing the Trap Card to flip up. "With this card, all damage taken by any players will be halved for the rest of this turn!" A heart-shaped shield suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of Leah, made half from metal and half from glass. Almost immediately afterwards, an invisible shockwave from the Chaos Number smashed through the glass portion of the shield and knocked her back.

**Leah LP:** 1800 → 850

As the attack subsided, she straightened up and wiped her brow. "Phew," she breathed. "That was a close one."

"Is something the matter?" Dan asked. "You looked like you were off in a different world."

"Sorry for worrying you-" she started.

"Worrying me? You nearly gave me a heart attack," he replied. "A few seconds later and you'd have been in the Damage Step, where you can't even activate Half Shield. Oh, and while I'm on the subject, you know you could've activated that Trap Card a little sooner. You could've saved me some damage from that Remove Bomb card, for instance."

"Yeah... sorry about that," Leah grinned guiltily.

Lithon sighed. "Another family squabble," he growled. "Are you both finished? Because I wish to continue now. I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Burial from a Different Dimension." The scientist activated the card directly from his hand. "This card lets me take up to three banished monsters and return them to their owner's Graveyards. I choose Glacial Dragon and Tiras."

"You what?" Dan asked, as the two Xyz Monsters were returned to his and Leah's Graveyards. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because now they won't return," Lithon explained. "Synthetic Chaos returns any monsters it banishes back to the field when my next turn begins. However, if those monsters are no longer in the banished zone, then there's nothing to return. Quite ingenious, don't you think? I end my turn there."

"Back to me then," Dan nodded. "I draw. I activate one of my face-down cards, Cards of Consonance!" One of his face-down cards flipped up. "With this, by discarding a Dragon-Type Tuner with 1000 or less ATK, I can draw two cards. I discard **Polaris Dragon Rhetta**."

"So that face-down card was a bluff after all," Lithon smirked. "Sorry, but it I didn't fall for it even once."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It was still worth a try," he replied, drawing his cards. He felt a mixture of feelings as he beheld his drawn cards. On the one hand, the monster he'd drawn was good enough to defend them until Leah got another monster on the field. On the other hand, it wasn't enough to take out the Chaos Number, and Summoning it would almost certainly mean taking damage. _'Well,' _he thought to himself, _'I suppose I can spare a few Life Points at this stage.' _"I Normal Summon Twin-Headed Behemoth!" The purple two-headed dragon appeared.

Twin-Headed Behemoth: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 1200

"Hmm?" Lithon said suspiciously. "Why Attack Position? You must know that that's suicide."

"I wonder about that," Dan grinned. "I place one card face-down and end my turn." His set card appeared, emptying his hand once again.

"My turn, draw!" Kodoku said. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn." There was another ripple of surprise as, once again, the feisty boy completely failed to make any sort of offensive move.

"Finally," Leah grinned. "At last I can test my strength against that Chaos Number. My turn, I draw! First, I activate the Trap Card, Groundbreaking Ceremony!" Her last remaining face-down card activated. "This card lets me return any Spirit monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I target **Borealis Leger**!" She smiled as her Graveyard zone lit up. Everything was going according to plan... that is, until she heard the word she'd been dreading.

"Chain!" Kodoku shouted once again. "In response to your Trap, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Instant Overlay!"

"Jeez, this is déjà vu," Matt muttered as Kodoku's face-down card flipped up.

"Like my Xyz Drop card from before, this card attaches itself to any Xyz Monster on the field with no Overlay Units. I target Friendship Demon." Just as the Trap from before had, the Spell shrunk down into a single blue orb of light, then darted upwards towards his Number. As it got close, however, it suddenly burst like a bubble, showering Kodoku with particles of light. "What the-" he gasped.

"What is this?" Lithon snarled. "What did you do, girl?"

"Nothing..." Leah was only confused for a second before it dawned on her. "Dan...?" she asked, turning to her partner to find him grinning. One of his face-down cards was now face-up and glowing.

"Sorry to butt in like that," he grinned. "I was just getting a bit bored of that thing's effect, and I thought it was about time we regained control of our Xyz Summons. So I activated this. The Trap Card, Dragon Gust."

"Dragon Gust... ah, so that's it," Lithon said, understanding.

"While I control a Dragon-Type monster," Dan was explaining, "I can use this card to negate the activation of any Spell or Trap Card my opponent activates. I chained it in response to Instant Overlay." The card faded away, and he turned to face Leah. "My apologies, ma'am. Would you care to continue?"

"Oh, it would be my pleasure sir," Leah replied, briefly copying his posh accent. "Anyway, due to Groundbreaking Ceremony, **Borealis Leger** returns to my hand. Next, I'll Normal Summon it." She removed the card from her Graveyard, then instantly placed it back on her duel disk, causing the bow-toting angel to reappear.

**Borealis Leger: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 600**

"Leger's effect activates," she went on. "When it's Normal Summoned, I can raise the Level of any Spirit monster I control by one. I'll have it target itself."

**Borealis Leger: Level 4 **→** 5**

"And now Ice Fire World's effect," she said, as if reading from a checklist. In response, a jet of pale blue fire leapt out of the canyon in front of her and struck her monster. "Finally, Level five Leger, Overlay!" From within the globule of fire, two bolts of blue energy shot out and into the sky. On the frozen ground beneath them, a galaxy-shaped portal opened, extinguishing what was left of the fire. "I use this monster, treated as two monsters, to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The bolts of energy chased each other down into the portal, which exploded with light. "Be born! **Number 17: Passion Aurora**!"

The green number seventeen flashed above the field and onto Leah's left hand, and a spinning sideways-oval crest rose out of the portal, sporting three sharp protrusions; two from the side and one from underneath. Protruding from the side of each 'spike' were two downy wings, making for six in total. Lines of light traced across the surface of the crest as it started to unfold. All six wings stretched out. A pitch-black humanoid figure, covered in shining gold armour, began to take form. Two scarf-like strips of fabric, one grey and one purple, hung from its waste. It had spikes on its kneecaps, and pointed feet. Everything about the creature looked synthetic, with the sole exception of its downy wings. With one final battle cry, the angelic warrior stretched out its arms and wings, then took its position ready for battle, orbited by a lonely yellow Overlay Unit.

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU**

* * *

Author-made cards:

Epignosai Kaph (credit to Superjad)  
Plant-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1500  
You can target 2 "Epignosai" cards in your Graveyard; banish them. Each player can only use the effect of "Epignosai Kaph" once per Duel.

Epignosai Waw (credit to Superjad)  
Dragon-Type/LIGHT/Level 4/ATK 400/DEF 400  
If this card is currently banished: You can return this card to the Graveyard, then target 1 face-up card your opponent controls; banish it until your opponent's next Standby Phase.

Borealis Leger  
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1400/DEF 600  
Cannot be Special Summoned. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand. When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 face-up Spirit monster you control; that target gains 1 Level.

Number 24: Friendship Demon (credit to Superjad)  
Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; look at your opponent's Extra Deck, and if they have any Xyz Monsters there, Xyz Summon 1 of those monsters from their Extra Deck to their field, using appropriate face-up monster(s) they control as the Xyz Material Monster(s).

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster until the End Phase.

Number 89: Blacklight Prototype (credit to Superjad)  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900  
1 Level 4 LIGHT monster + 1 Level 4 DARK monster  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is also treated as a DARK Fiend-Type monster. If this card battles a non-LIGHT/DARK monster, at the start of the Damage Step: Detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target that monster; banish that target.

Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos (credit to Superjad)  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900  
3 Level 4 LIGHT/DARK monsters OR 1 "Number 89: Blacklight Prototype"  
Cannot be Xyz Summoned unless there are 5 or more banished cards. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is also treated as a DARK Fiend-Type monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 card on the field; banish it until your next Standby Phase.

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #100: Woo, one-hundred Fun Facts!**

**Fun Fact #101: Ok, now we've done that, we need a new goal. Um... er... how about this; I wonder if we can break 100,000 words by the end of this story. It's certainly possible.**

**Fun Fact #102: Good lord, the amount of Numbers that have appeared in this duel alone is insane. We've had 54, 24, 10, 3, 68, 89, C89, and now 17. How many more do you think we'll have before this duel is through?**

**Fun Fact #103: Abyss' duel with Shark in Episode 108 is an excellent example of why we use a lot of anime/manga cards in our duels. We're referring to the Gorgon Charm card specifically. Why was it created? Its purpose in the duel was to flip a monster from face-down Defence Position into face-up Defence Position. Why couldn't Dark-Piercing Light have done that? Or Spot Check? Or Impact Flip? Hell, if the Battle Position didn't matter (which it really didn't), then Book of Taiyou could've been used. But no, they decided to create a new card to do the job of an old one, just for the sake of making the Deck seem more thematic, then immediately breaking that theme with Xyz Unit. Seriously, if a card can't add anything new to the game (regardless of whether it or its competitors are intended for release or not), it shouldn't be made in the first place.**


	29. Part 3: Ch 10

**Lithon LP:** 2900

**Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900 – 1 OLU**

**Kodoku LP:** 4000

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450 - 0 OLU**

**Dan LP:** 3100

Twin-Headed Behemoth: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 1200

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Ice Fire World [Field Card], 1 set card

**Leah LP:** 850

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Miraculous Descent [no target]

"Is that it?" Lithon sneered. "That was your big move? Number 17? I feel embarrassed for you two, I really do. Why would you go through all that trouble just to Summon a Number whose effect is essentially useless?"

"Useless?" Leah repeated. "Could you elaborate on that a bit?"

"Its effect prevents Special Summons if I remember correctly," Lithon said. "But I already have my Chaos Number in play. Why would I need to Summon anything else? All you've really succeeded in doing is placing your partner in a rather strict bind where he can no longer use his Numbers. And for what? For the mild bit of damage you'll inflict from attacking my Chaos Number? Was it really worth all that?"

"Oh definitely," Leah said without hesitation. "To get your Chaos Number off the field... I'd say a goal like that is worth every second of effort and hardship. Don't you agree?"

Lithon considered for a moment. "Well, I suppose the conclusions of your logic are to be assumed. I would do the same thing in your position."

Unbeknownst to everyone else, however, Lithon was feeling positively jubilant, despite his outward display of impassiveness. He was stringing them along beautifully. _'If I can keep them talking in this manner,' _he thought,_ 'then an attack against my Chaos Number is inevitable. She has no choice. She can perform no further Normal Summons this turn… and due to using a Spirit Deck, a series of Special Summons is unlikely. Yes, an attack will come, I'm sure of it. And when it does…' _He glanced at the card in his hand. _'…I will be given the opportunity to trigger the effect of Honest. After that, I will have just the boy to deal with, who, considering his current field state, should not pose-'_

"I activate Passion Aurora's effect," Leah declared, startling Lithon out of his reverie. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can negate its own effects for the rest of this turn, which will allow us all to perform more Special Summons this turn." The single yellow orb of light broke orbit and flew into its helmet with a flash of light. A few feathers detached themselves from 17's wings and began to float in small circles around it.

**Number 17: Passion Aurora: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"Oh yes," Dan said. "Oh, please tell me you're about to do what I think you're about to do."

"I might be," she grinned back. Then, she raised her hand up to the sky, the shining number seventeen on her left hand blazing brighter than ever. That was all the signal she needed. Immediately, Passion Aurora began to change. Its armour extended, growing back over the black material that covered its skin. The wings on its back retracted slightly, and split into three groups of two as the synthetic angel changed shape. Finally, the transformation completed itself, and the Number was once again left encapsulated within its sealed form – a golden, crest-like, oval structure lying on its side, sporting three sharp protrusions around the outside, each with two downy wings attached to them. Beneath the now-resealed Number, a large, galaxy-shaped portal opened up, just like the one used in the Xyz Summons of Numbers.

"What is this?" Lithon breathed. "What's happening here?!"

"I use **Number 17: Passion Aurora** to reconstruct the Overlay Network! Chaos Xyz Change!" Leah declared. Slowly, silently, the sealed form of her Number descended into the portal, which erupted like a volcano of pure light. "Appear, **Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol**!"

With the echoing sound of glass shattering, the green number seventeen on Leah's left hand dissipated, only to be replaced by a much darker copy, which pulsated and glowed rhythmically in time with her own heartbeat. Slowly and deceptively serenely, a solid golden sphere rose up out of the portal, topped with a halo of thick, pure white feathers. Bright yellow lines traced across the surface of the sphere, which began to open out, revealing a humanoid yet angelic figure curled up inside. This creature was also dressed in what seemed to be black latex, but far less of it was visible, as adorned as it was with the deep-gold plates that had once been its sealed form, but which it now wore as armour. As the monster stood upright, the downy halo slipped down behind it, and affixed itself to the monster's back, where it immediately spread out and formed six beautiful white wings, three on each side. Then the angel opened its eyes – no more than two glowing yellow dots – and all at once the wings flared with light. But not just white light; it was red, green, pink, violet... every single colour imaginable. It was as though the northern lights themselves were draped over the angel's wings like curtains, contrasting beautifully with the rich golden armour that covered its body. A single yellow Overlay Unit traced circles around the majestic golden monster.

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 1 OLU**

Lithon stared across the frozen canyon at the angel, pure shock etched into every line of his face. "W- what? What is this?! How could you have... this is impossible! It's-"

"Oh, I'm sorry Lithon," Leah grinned. "I probably should have mentioned that I had a Chaos Number too, but you seemed so wrapped up in your 'I control the world's only Chaos Number' speech, I didn't want to steal your thunder."

"But... but..." For quite possibly the first time in his life, the scientist found himself at a total loss for words. "But... this can't be! You... how did you-"

"Sir... that thing's awesome," Kodoku breathed. "What is it?"

"It- it's impossible," Lithon stuttered. "It cannot... you can't have, you... but it's really-"

Leah laughed. This was exactly the sort of reaction she'd been hoping for. "It's not just me either," she went on. "Matt, Katie, myself... we all have Chaos Numbers now."

"No... no, you're lying!" Lithon shouted, finally able to articulate full sentences. "That is something I cannot and will not accept! But this thing..." He was still staring at the Chaos Number as though he couldn't (and didn't want to) believe it existed. "How could this happen?! How did you create this thing?! I want answers, now!"

"Answers?" Leah repeated, putting on her best good-little-girl smile. "I thought you already had all the answers. Remember, you told us that an incredible emotional surge is needed to create-"

"Yes yes, I remember what I said," Lithon snapped. "I also remember saying that humans cannot physically experience such emotional surges."

"Then how did you do it?" Dan countered. "You hinted at it last time, but there's no point keeping secrets anymore. We have the power of the Chaos Numbers on our side already. You have nothing to lose by revealing how you did it."

Lithon scowled at him, but begrudgingly realised that the boy was talking sense. "The only way I was able to do it was by subjecting my Number to constant attacks and assaults from the other Numbers in my collection," he explained. "This wore my Number down, weakening it to the point where it was as desperate to gain strength as I was. Its desperation mingled with mine, and thus I was able to evolve it with far less effort on my part."

"You tortured your own Number to get results?" Leah said. "That's sick."

"That's science!" Lithon countered. "Now, if you don't mind, girl, I'd like to know exactly how your Chaos Number came to be. You don't have the same resources as me, nor the same level of ingenuity, so how did you accomplish it?"

"Wrong both times," Dan said, before Leah could say a word. "She certainly does have the resources, and I'd say her ingenuity far outstrips yours."

"What was that?" Lithon growled threateningly.

Leah laughed. "Alright then, I'll tell you. Don't start arguing," she smiled. "Well, I was in a duel with a guy called Skyler. You remember Skyler?"

"The one with the robotic limb?" Lithon asked. "The one I extracted Tesseract Dragon from? Yes, I remember him."

"Good. Well, we were dueling, and... let's just say he was pushing me a bit too far. Both with his dueling and his words. Eventually, I snapped and lost my temper, and when I did, I broke the object we use to control our Numbers." She rested a hand against her pocket, where her metal band was still tucked away. "Once I did, the Numbers took over, and I lost control of my emotions. After that... well, things got a bit crazy-"

She suddenly stopped talking as she realised that Lithon was no longer paying attention. He was breathing heavily, his hands curled into involuntary fists. "Of course..." he whispered. "Using the natural abilities of the Numbers to amplify one's emotions... it's so simple, it's brilliant..." He looked back up at them. "But it still wouldn't work! A human's emotions still aren't enough to perform a Chaos Xyz Change, even with that kind of help. There must've been more to it!"

"There isn't," Leah said. "Just your own short-sightedness."

"My what?!"

"What exactly do you know about emotions?" she went on. "After everything you've done – torturing schoolchildren, yourself, and your own Number, taking advantage of the only child in the world who looks up to you, all for the benefit of 'research' - what exactly is there to convince me that you're even capable of understanding emotions?"

"That's quite enough of that!" Lithon snapped. "You're just a child! Who are you to think you can judge me?"

"I can judge you because I'm your superior," Leah replied. "In every sense of the word."

The scientist growled, shifting his glare back and forth between the girl and her Chaos Number. Then, quite unexpectedly, he rounded on Kodoku. "You! Boy! You looked at her Extra Deck twice during this duel. You must have seen the Chaos Number. Why didn't you inform me of it?"

"I- um..." Kodoku seemed stuttery and nervous the moment he heard Lithon's sharp tone directed at him. "Er... I didn't know what it was. I just thought it was another Number. It didn't look important-"

"Didn't look important?!" Lithon roared. "Just another Number?! You idiot boy! Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

Kodoku gave a little gasp of fright and took a step back.

"Hey!" Dan shouted. "Don't speak to him like that!"

It was no use. Lithon was furious. "Chaos Number!" he was shouting. "That's all you had to say, Kodoku! Chaos! Number! Just two little words! Instead, you just chose to call them Numbers! You idiot!" Kodoku looked genuinely hurt and scared by his teacher's berations. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to run away. "That was the most crucial piece of information in this entire duel, and you just chose to ignore it! You're useless, boy! Useless!"

"Leave him alone!" Leah shouted. "I activate Chaos Number 17's effect! By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can declare any type of Summon. Then, this effect will destroy all monsters on the field that were Summoned this way, except itself, and also increase Aurora Sol's ATK by 300 points for each one." The single yellow orb of light was absorbed into the monster's forehead.

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"I choose Special Summons," she called, desperate to distract Lithon from Kodoku, if only for a second. "Both Friendship Demon and Synthetic Chaos were Summoned by a Special Summon, so both of them are destroyed!" With a deep percussive thump, a pulse of rainbow-hued energy emanated from Aurora Sol's wings, and shot across the field as a shockwave. Both enemy duelists covered their faces as their monsters were incinerated by the intense energy.

"No... no..." Lithon gasped, his student briefly forgotten as he stared at the scorched patch of ice where his Chaos Number – his ultimate weapon, the monster that he had painstakingly crafted through hours of research, toil, and pain – had stood moments before. "This can't be happening... my Chaos Number... my masterpiece..."

"And don't forget," Leah went on, "Passion Aurora Sol gains 300 ATK for each monster destroyed by this effect. You lost two between you, so it gains 600 attack points."

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: ATK 2500 **→** 3100**

"Stop this!" Lithon shouted desperately.

"Battle!" Leah cried. "Passion Aurora Sol, attack Lithon directly!" The angel raised both hands above its head and began drawing in energy. Slowly, tortuously, a crackling green sphere began to grow atop the Chaos Number's arms. It grew larger and larger, until its size dwarfed all four duelists, and even the angel that was holding it.

Lithon stared up as the ball grew larger and larger. "This is your fault, Kodoku!" he shouted, not taking his eyes off the attack.

"But..." Kodoku whimpered. "But sir..."

"If you had told me about this, I could have prepared for it," he snapped as the attack was fired. "My defeat – my blood – is on your hands, Kodoku. It's all your fault! All of it! It's your fault!"

The attack struck him with the force of a meteor. The explosion tore a huge hole in the ice and the earth beneath it, pelting the duelists with clod and grass. Eventually the light died down, to be replaced by small wisps of smoke that rose out of the crater left by the attack. The once-proud and strong scientist was now lying in the centre of the tremendous crater, smoke rising up from his charred yellow lab coat.

**Lithon LP:** 2900 → 0

* * *

Author-made cards:

Chaos Number 89: Synthetic Chaos (credit to Superjad)  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 1900/DEF 1900  
3 Level 4 LIGHT/DARK monsters OR 1 "Number 89: Blacklight Prototype"  
Cannot be Xyz Summoned unless there are 5 or more banished cards. This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. This card is also treated as a DARK Fiend-Type monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 card on the field; banish it until your next Standby Phase.

Number 24: Friendship Demon (credit to Superjad)  
Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; look at your opponent's Extra Deck, and if they have any Xyz Monsters there, Xyz Summon 1 of those monsters from their Extra Deck to their field, using appropriate face-up monster(s) they control as the Xyz Material Monster(s).

Number 17: Passion Aurora  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
2 Level 5 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Neither player can Special Summon monsters. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; negate this card's effects until the End Phase.

Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
3 Level 5 LIGHT monsters OR 1 "Number 17: Passion Aurora"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then declare 1 type of Summon (Normal, Flip or Special); destroy all other face-up monsters that were Summoned this way, then this card gains 300 ATK for each one.

* * *

**Fun Fact #104: Oh hey, did Doctor Lithon just go from plain to extra crispy? I think he did.**

**Fun Fact #105: So, Shadow Specters has new Spirit monsters and Spirit support, Ritual support, new Gemini monsters, support for a forgotten manga archetype, an answer to the Gimmick Puppets' main Xyz problem, a reference to the Crystal Beasts, and a replacement Rai-Oh to stop Spellbook Decks... is this what heaven feels like?**

**Fun Fact #106: Konami has been reading this fanfic. That's the only explanation! Aratama was clearly made by merging the searching concepts for Borealis Tatami and Borealis Kita, along with similar ATK and DEF to Kita. That's not to say we don't like it - we love Aratama to bits. And its friend Rakshasa. Three guesses whose Deck will be getting an upgrade.**

**Fun Fact #107: So, Konami made the stupid decision to semi-limit Rai-Oh just before the release of Spellbook of Judgement, in order to profit more from it, and thus ushering in the Spellbooks' reign of terror. Now, a few weeks down the line, they bring in a Continuous Trap which prevents players from adding cards from their Decks to their hands except by drawing. And its name is literally 'Mistake'. It's nice to see Konami owning up to their errors for once.  
**

**Fun Fact #108: I don't know who came up with the ridiculous idea of combining the Crystal Beast theme with Pumpking of all things... I do know that I love it.**


	30. Part 3: Ch 11

**Lithon LP:** 0

**Kodoku LP:** 4000

**Dan LP:** 3100

Twin-Headed Behemoth: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 1200

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Ice Fire World [Field Card], 1 set card

**Leah LP:** 850

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 3100/DEF 1800 – 0 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Miraculous Descent [no target]

For a moment, Leah just stood there, unable to truly take in what she'd accomplished. Her Chaos Number's power was truly staggering. First Skyler, now Doctor Lithon... it seemed like there was no limit to the feats she could achieve with this thing.

"Well," Dan said, staring at their downed opponent. "That seemed a bit overkill."

Leah shook her head slowly. "After what that guy did to Kodoku, you'll have to forgive me if I don't have a lot of sympathy for him," she said. "Besides, he'll live. And I'd like to get this duel finished so we can extract his Numbers before he wakes up."

"True..." Dan still felt bad for what he was about to do. It felt like the duel was already over – they'd already beaten the main enemy after all – yet they were still being forced to continue. _'Still, not too long now,' _he thought to himself. _'Kodoku doesn't look like he's in any state to continue. We just need to attack him a few times and that's it.'_

"Normally, the player to make a move after me would be Doctor Lithon," Leah was saying, mostly for Kodoku's benefit. "But since he's been eliminated, then play moves straight onto the player after him, which is Dan. So I end my turn."

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: ATK 3100 **→** 2500**

"My turn then, I draw." Dan sighed as he beheld his drawn card. "Not quite enough," he muttered. "Oh well, it'll have to do. I Summon Blizzard Dragon!" An icy dragon rose up. It had a rounded nose and a blue body tinged with purple. Unlike most regular dragons, its wings were actually fixed onto its arms.

Blizzard Dragon: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 4/ATK 1800/DEF 1000

"Battle! Blizzard Dragon and Twin-Headed Behemoth, attack Kodoku directly!" The icy dragon leapt forward and slashed repeatedly at the boy with its sharp claws, before leaping aside as the other dragon launched a volley of air bullets at the same target. Kodoku cried out and staggered back under the barrage of attacks.

**Kodoku LP:** 4000 → 2200

**Kodoku LP:** 2200 → 700

"With that, I end my turn." With a satisfied nod, he turned to Leah. "Sorry, I couldn't quite manage 4000 Life Points in one go. Think you can handle the rest."

Leah scratched her head uncertainly. "Well... yeah, sure I can, but I'm confused. Why didn't you Xyz Summon just now?"

"Xyz Summon?"

"Yeah. With the effect of Ice Fire World, you could've use Blizzard Dragon to Summon Vapour Freeze for some extra damage. So why didn't you?"

"Oh, that," Dan grinned guiltily. "It's not really that big a deal, since it's just a 300 point difference. And besides, just look at the poor kid. He's in no condition to be dueling right now. I felt bad enough attacking him with just these guys – the last thing I should be doing is attacking him with a Number as well."

Leah was about to reply, when a faint sound echoed across the field. The last sound any of them expected to hear, and from the least likely source of all. It was Lithon. The doctor was awake and sitting up in his crater. And he was laughing at them.

"Alright, I'll bite," Leah said warily. "What's so funny?"

"You two," Lithon smirked, picking himself up. "You're total idiots, the pair of you. You have no idea what's just happened, do you?"

Without really knowing why, Dan and Leah suddenly found themselves on guard. "What do you mean?" Dan asked.

"I mean him," Lithon replied, before turning to Kodoku. "Hurry up, you worthless piece of trash. Take your turn already."

Kodoku shuddered. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. "M- my turn... draw. I activate the Spell Card, Monster Reborn, to revive **Number 24: Friendship Demon**." With a flash of light, the adorable yet pitiful demon reappeared on Kodoku's field, now devoid of Overlay Units. The deep blue symbol for twenty-four returned to the back of his hand.

**Number 24: Friendship Demon: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450 – 0 OLU**

The boy shuddered again, and the small glowing number on his hand flared with light. As if in response, the childish monster curled over into the foetal position. Without warning, a shimmering haze seemed to settle over the demonic Number, which quickly faded out to reveal it now suspended in a clear liquid and encased inside a teardrop-shaped glass structure.

"No..." Leah gasped fearfully, suddenly realising what was about to happen. "No, it can't be..."

"I use **Number 24: Friendship Demon** to reconstruct the Overlay Network!" Suddenly Kodoku was shouting, and there was real force and malice in his voice; something which seemed so unbefitting of the innocent young boy. "Chaos Xyz Change!" A black, galaxy-shaped portal opened up beneath the Number's sealed form. The glass prison slowly descended into the portal, which exploded with light. "Appear, **Chaos Number 24: Monster of Solitude**!"

The blue twenty-four on Kodoku's hand seemed to burst into particles of light, only to reform moments later as a deeper, darker version of the symbol. At the same moment, from out of the erupting portal arose what appeared to be the exact same thing that had entered... a childish fiend encased in a glass teardrop structure filled with fluid. As the duelists watched, however, the teardrop seemed to darken, its contents turning black, obscuring the child from sight. Suddenly, the grass case shattered, and a howl of rage echoed across the field. The duelists cried out and covered their eyes. When it subsided, the same child was once again standing before them... no, not quite the same. This child's eyes were filled to the brim with fury and despair, and it seemed to radiate an oppressive aura that made the onlookers want to get as far away as possible. The once-small wings on its back now stretched out behind it as monstrously huge things, and its razor-sharp teeth appeared to have gotten larger without escaping its mouth. All in all, this childish figure had lost most of its childish innocence, gaining instead what could only be described as a killing intent. Even so, a tiny shred of innocent purity had still managed to linger deep in its eyes which, if anything, made it even more disturbing to look at. A single blue orb of light encircled it.

**Chaos Number 24: Monster of Solitude: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450 – 1 OLU**

A horrified silence descended across the battlefield, as duelist and spectator alike took in the full terror of this new creature. Whereas the Deltas were all stricken, however, Lithon was positively jubilant.

"It worked!" Lithon proclaimed. "It actually worked! Kodoku's true power has awoken, just as I predicted."

Leah rounded on him. "You! Did you have something to do with this?"

"Perhaps," the scientist smirked. "I suppose there really is no point keeping up this charade any longer. I was aware the the traditional method of evolving Numbers is in fact not impossible from the very beginning. I merely pretended otherwise to distract you from what I was truly trying to achieve. And you fell for it spectacularly!"

"But... but how?" Dan stuttered. "How did Kodoku-" Then it hit him. "The things you said to him..."

"Precisely," Lithon smirked. "You thought I was just saying cruel things to him for the sake of it? Fool! Everything I do has meaning!"

"That's low Lithon," Leah snapped. "That's really low!"

"Am I the only one who has no idea what's going on?" Matt said from the sidelines. "Would someone care to fill me in?"

"It would be my pleasure, you leader amongst fools," Lithon laughed, brushing dust and dirt off his lab coat. "You see, the idea came to me back in our last encounter, when I discovered that Kodoku's collar was broken. I had always thought that Kodoku was only following my orders because of that collar, so imagine my surprise when I found out that the collar was, and always had been, broken."

"We don't need to imagine," Matt retorted. "We were there."

"Indeed," the scientist nodded. "It turns out that Kodoku respected me, and looked up to me as a father figure. That's why he remained loyal to me – because he wanted to, not because I forced it upon him. This turn of events intrigued me. Immediately after making this discovery, I began devising ways that I might use this to my advantage. Back then, I truly believed that creating a Chaos Number the traditional way was impossible, but that discovery changed my outlook. The emotions of a child are often more powerful, less restricted, and full to the brim with conviction. Thus, I decided to prepare an experiment."

"What kind of experiment?" Matt asked suspiciously.

"You're watching it now," Lithon retorted. "I knew that Kodoku had formed a powerful bond with me due to his own experiences, so it stands to reason that severing that bond would produce wild, uncontrollable negative emotions which, if done at the right moment, could induce a Chaos Xyz Change."

"Actually, that's something I wanted to know," Dan interrupted. "Shouldn't Kodoku's protection have severed his connection with the Numbers, preventing them from feeling his emotions? That would make a Chaos Xyz Change impossible."

Lithon smirked at him. "Protection?"

"Yeah, protection from the influence of-" Suddenly Dan's voice died in his throat. "No..." he whispered. "No, you couldn't have..."

"Ah, so you've figured it out," Lithon sneered. "Yes, I switched off Kodoku's protective measures some time ago, to allow his emotions to truly take over. Thus, when I showed my rage before him, and blamed him for my own defeat, he succumbed to his despair and lost control. The result stands before you – a true Chaos Xyz Change."

Unable to listen to any more, Leah turned to the boy. "Kodoku, have you been listening to this?" she called. "The Doctor used you! He's not your friend or guardian. He abused your trust in him. You can't let him keep doing this!"

"It's no use, girl," Lithon laughed. "Kodoku has descended too far into the depths of chaos for mere words to reach him. If you want to get through to him, you'll have to find another-"

"I activate Monster of Solitude's effect!" Kodoku shouted, cutting off Lithon and startling the Deltas. "Once per turn, by detaching an Overlay Unity from it, I can search through my opponent's Extra Deck. Then, using monsters you control as the Xyz Material Monsters, I can Xyz Summon one of those monsters to my own field." Like its previous form, the demonic kid snatched its Overlay Unit out of orbit and beheld it for a few seconds. Instead of cherishing it, however, this new form let out a whimper of anguish and allowed the glowing orb to fall from its hands to the icy ground.

**Chaos Number 24: Monster of Solitude: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

"Wait, what?" Dan gasped. "This thing actually lets you steal Xyz Monsters straight out of our Extra Decks?"

Kodoku said nothing, but instead stared intently at his D-Gazer as it revealed the contents of the hunter's Extra Deck. A tense few seconds passed. "There it is!" Kodoku exclaimed suddenly. "Using the effect of Ice Fire World, Level four Blizzard Dragon, Overlay!" Another globule of blue fire leapt out of the icy canyon and engulfed the dragon. Almost immediately, the flames parted, and two blue bolts of energy shot into the air and across the crevice to hover above a galaxy portal that materialized on Kodoku's field, opening directly over the place where the Overlay Unit had fallen. "I use this monster, treated as two monsters, to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz Summon!" The two bolts of energy representing a single monster between them sailed down into the portal, which exploded violently, producing a cloud of steam that rose from the portal like the mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion. "Appear! **Number 55: Vapour Freeze**!"

A deep purple number fifty-five etched itself onto the right-hand side of Kodoku's neck. With the sound of rushing wind, the cloud of steam rising out of the portal was sucked back down to earth, swirling around a colossal spherical chunk of ice. The sphere then began to vibrate violently, to the point where it looked like it was about to shatter. The steam was pulled even more thickly around the ice, enshrouding it, almost completely obscuring it from the world... suddenly, two piercing yellow eyes opened within the swirling steam, and looked around at the field, shining clearly through the cloud of steam. A single blue Overlay Unit drifted around it, riding on the vapour currents that still encircled the frozen monster.

**Number 55: Vapour Freeze: Pyro-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 4/ATK 2100/DEF 1200 – 1 OLU**

Dan groaned. "Not Vapour Freeze," he muttered. "It took us long enough to get that away from Lithon, and then back from Skyler... now we have to retrieve it from Kodoku as well."

Kodoku grinned; a savage, malicious grin that stretched unnaturally across his face. At the same time, a single tear slid down his cheek. "Not exactly," he said, wiping the tear away. "This isn't your friend anymore. It's my friend. Mine!" As if on cue, the eyes on the front of the ice cube closed, becoming practically invisible behind the wall of steam. Beneath the Number, yet another portal opened. "I don't want to be alone again! I use MY **Number 55: Vapour Freeze** to reconstruct the Overlay Network! Chaos Xyz Change!" The Number descended into the portal once more, producing an eruption of light particles. "Appear! **Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt**!"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
3 Level 5 LIGHT monsters OR 1 "Number 17: Passion Aurora"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then declare 1 type of Summon (Normal, Flip or Special); destroy all other face-up monsters that were Summoned this way, then this card gains 300 ATK for each one.

Number 24: Friendship Demon (credit to Superjad)  
Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; look at your opponent's Extra Deck, and if they have any Xyz Monsters there, Xyz Summon 1 of those monsters from their Extra Deck to their field, using appropriate face-up monster(s) they control as the Xyz Material Monster(s).

Chaos Number 24: Monster of Solitude (credit to Superjad)  
Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450  
3 Level 3 monsters OR 1 "Number 24: Friendship Demon"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Unless 1 or more players have 0 Life Points, but none of them are your opponent, destroy this card. When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can gain 4000 Life Points for each other player. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; look at your opponent's Extra Deck, and if they have any Xyz Monsters there, Xyz Summon 1 of those monsters from their Extra Deck to your field, using appropriate face-up monster(s) they control as the Xyz Material Monster(s).

Number 55: Vapour Freeze (credit to Superjad)  
Pyro-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 4/ATK 2100/DEF 1200  
2 Level 4 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster; apply 1 of these effects. ●Switch its current ATK and DEF. ●Halve its DEF.

* * *

**Fun Fact #109: Woo, thirty chapters!**

**Fun Fact #110: So many Chaos Numbers!**

**Fun Fact #111: This is something else that the anime never really touches on. If a person has just performed a Chaos Xyz Change, and they are still experiencing those same emotions they used to do so, then there's absolutely no reason why they couldn't Chaos Xyz Change again if they could get another Number on the field. For instance, I think we would all love to see Leviathan Dragon's Chaos form, but the writers just won't let it happen.**

**Fun Fact #112: We should probably explain Monster of Solitide's condition. Superjad gave it a different condition to the usual "1000 LP or less" condition seen on the other Chaos Numbers. The condition this one has basically means that it can only be used in a Tag Duel after your partner's Life Points have hit 0, or in a regular duel where your own Life Points have hit 0 but you are using an effect like Infernity Zero or Relay Soul to stay in the duel. Thus, even though its other effects are relatively broken, it is basically unusable under most circumstances.  
**


	31. Part 3: Ch 12

**Lithon LP:** 0

**Kodoku LP:** 700

**Chaos Number 24: Monster of Solitude: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450 – 0 OLU**

**Dan LP:** 3100

Twin-Headed Behemoth: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1500/DEF 1200

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Ice Fire World [Field Card], 1 set card

**Leah LP:** 850

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800 – 0 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Miraculous Descent [no target]

"Appear! **Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt**!" Kodoku cried. The deep purple colour of the fifty-fifth symbol on his neck flared white, then darkened. Now it was shadowy, pulsating, and seemed to be tinged with a tiny amount of yellow. As the sky of the Ice Fire World began to rumble, the residue from the portal cleared, and a bolt of electricity blazed down from the heavens. From out of the portal, a frozen cube rose up to meet it. The lightning bolt struck the cube of ice, shattering it with an explosive retort. The ice was vaporized from the intense energy of the lightning... no, almost all of it. The strike seemed to strip away the excess ice, leaving only a figure; over fifteen feet tall, humanoid in shape, and constructed completely from smooth ice. The new monster let out a roar of joy at the sheer power it had gained - the roar sounded like a cacophonic symphony of embers burning, ice splitting, and static crackling in a deep orchestra of sound. The clouds of steam surrounding it now crackled with static power as the piercing yellow eyes stared out at the field, brighter than ever before. Two bright blue Overlay Units circled it, serene as ever.

**Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt: Pyro-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 4/ATK 2100/DEF 1200 – 2 OLU**

The Deltas couldn't believe what they were seeing. "Two Chaos Numbers..." Leah whispered, starting to feel the despair creep in. "This is... unreal..."

"Unreal?" Dan repeated. "Try amazing!"

She turned to stare at him in disbelief. "Say what?! You can't seriously be enjoying this."

"Oh I am," he grinned back. "Taking another player's monster and turning it into something infinitely more awesome to fight with... that's the sort of thing you'd expect to see in the pro circuit, not from a kid like this. Seriously, we're actually having the time of our lives over here."

"We?" Leah repeated.

"Due to the effect of Vapour Freeze Volt," Kodoku butted in, "its Type becomes Thunder as well as Pyro!"

**Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt: Pyro-Type **→ **Pyro-Type/Thunder-Type**

"Then I activate the Spell Card, Overlay Regen," he declared. "After activation, this card attaches itself to a targeted Xyz Monster as an Overlay Unit. I target Vapour Freeze Volt." The Spell Card shrunk down into a small blue orb of light, which darted upwards and settled into orbit around the Chaos Number.

**Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt: 2 **→** 3 OLU**

"Jeez, how many Overlay Unit-restoring cards does he have?" Matt wondered aloud.

"Vapour Freeze Volt's effect activates!" the boy went on. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units, I can apply one of three different effects to any monster on the field. I'll start by applying its first effect to Monster of Solitude!" The elemental master drew one of its Overlay Units out of orbit and absorbed it into its body.

**Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt: 3 **→** 2 OLU**

"With this effect, Monster of Solitude's ATK and DEF are swapped!" A vivid red inferno briefly surrounded the demonic child, who cried out in horror and shielded its eyes. When the flames cleared, however, it was surrounded by a flickering, burning aura that made the already creepy child look more sinister than ever.

**Chaos Number 24: Monster of Solitude: ATK 1500 **→ **2450/DEF 2450 **→** 1500**

Kodoku grinned wildly at his Chaos Number's increase in power. "Now I use the same effect again! I detach an Overlay Unit to invert Passion Aurora Sol's ATK and DEF!" Another blue orb was absorbed into the ice monster, and an identical whirlwind of flames engulfed Leah's remaining monster. When it cleared, Passion Aurora Sol had gained the same cindering aura that Monster of Solitude had, but it didn't appear more powerful. Indeed, the aura seemed to be hurting it.

**Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

**Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol: ATK 2500 **→ **1800/DEF 1800 **→** 2500**

Leah gritted her teeth. "To think that using the same effect could power up his monster but weaken mine."

"We're not done yet!" Kodoku shouted. "I'm detaching Vapour Freeze Volt's last Overlay Unit, but this time I'm using a different effect. Its third effect! An effect which lets me increase the targeted monster's ATK by 1500, but in return, it gets banished during the End Phase. I'll have it target itself." As it absorbed its final Overlay Unit, the monster's eyes flashed with a blinding brightness, and it coated itself in an aura of lightning.

**Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

**Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt: ATK 2100 **→** 3600**

"Battle! Vapour Freeze Volt, attack Twin-Headed Behemoth!" The Chaos Number, revelling in the new heights of its incredible power, pointed authoritatively at Dan's dragon. A hurricane of electrified steam clouds, coupled with the blaze of a raging inferno, consumed it beneath the power of the elements. Dan covered his face as his monster was annihilated.

**Dan LP:** 3100 → 1000

"Monster of Solitude, destroy Passion Aurora Sol!" The fiendish child's wings extended to impossible lengths and wrapped themselves around the enemy Chaos Number, pulling it into a tight embrace. The golden angel tried desperately to escape, as Solitude's wings slowly crushed the life out of it. Finally, it exploded, and Solitude looked down at the scorched ice where it had once stood with a sad, longing expression. Leah clutched her arm in pain, feeling her Chaos Number's destruction much more vividly than a regular Number.

**Leah LP:** 850 → 200

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," Kodoku finished, placing his Set card on his duel disk. "And during the End Phase, Vapour Freeze Volt banishes itself." The electrical aura still surrounding the Chaos Number began to destabilize, causing Vapour Freeze Volt to panic as it was burned and electrocuted so intensely that not even its molecules could be salvaged. The intense energies quickly incinerated the monster, leaving nothing behind but faint eddies of steam, which were quickly swept aside by the breeze.

"During the End Phase," Dan said, ignoring the Chaos Numbers self-destruction, "if Twin-Headed Behemoth was destroyed this turn, it revives itself with its ATK and DEF reduced to 1000." The two-headed dragon thing reappeared in Defence Position.

Twin-Headed Behemoth: Dragon-Type/WIND/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000

Leah glanced at Monster of Solitude's stats, waiting for them to invert themselves back. When they didn't, she sighed. "Oh well, I guess the swap is permanent."

Dan frowned. "Something's up. Why did Kodoku let us both live?" he said. "With effects like that, he could have wiped out at least one of us. So why did he so carefully make sure we still had Life Points?"

"Easy," Kodoku replied. "Monster of Solitude can only remain on the field if one or more players have zero Life Points, but my opponent isn't one of them. Basically, if I'd reduced one of your Life Points to zero, this card would've destroyed itself-"

"...which would have left him with an empty field, and thus open to a direct attack," Lithon finished, grinning maniacally. "This is outstanding! Summoning two Chaos Numbers in a single turn is far beyond anything I dared expect from Kodoku, but this – this kind of strategizing – it defies all belief! He truly is a prodigy child!"

"For once, I think you and I are in agreement Lithon," Dan said, likewise grinning. "This kid is unbelievably strong! It's awesome!"

"Could you save your praise until after the duel?" Leah said, smiling. "Or at least until after my turn?"

"Haha, if you insist," Dan laughed.

"I do. My turn, draw!" She nodded with satisfaction upon seeing her card. "I activate the Spell Card, Aurora Draw. If I have no other cards in my hand, this card lets me draw two cards." A quick glance at her new hand was all it took to get Leah grinning. "Hey Dan, mind if I use your monster?"

Dan nodded. "What's mine is yours. I don't really need it now, so go for it."

"Alright then. I Tribute Twin-Headed Behemoth, to Tribute Summon **Borealis Minami**." The two-headed dragon faded into nothingness, and on Leah's field, a rainbow-hued angel appeared. It was dressed simply, in a white shirt with furry sleeves and a grey skirt. It also had white angel's wings tinted with cyan, and wore a tiara on its head. The tiara had was shaped like four wings – two at the front, two around the side, all four modelled after a dove's wings.

**Borealis Minami: Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1700**

"Straight into battle! Minami, attack Monster of Solitude!" The angel raised her hands, and swirl of glowing butterflies materialized around them. The flapping butterflies condensed around its hands into a sphere of light, which Minami prepared to launch at the enemy Chaos Number.

Surprisingly, the next move came from Dan. "I activate the Trap Card, Soul Strike!" he declared, triggering his remaining face-down card. "First off, this card requires me to drop half my Life Points."

**Dan LP:** 1000 → 500

"But when I do," he went on, "this card increases the ATK of any monster on our field by an amount equal to the Life Points I've just paid. So **Borealis Minami** gains 500 ATK!"

Leah let out a small gasp. _'Yes! That's perfect!' _With elation, she glanced at the other card in her hand. _'If that effect goes through, I can use this card… we might just win this!'_

Unfortunately, Kodoku was having none of it. "I activate the Counter Trap Card, Wiretap!" His last remaining face-down card activated. "This card negates the activation of your Trap Card, and sends it straight back to your Deck." The Soul Strike card fizzled and faded away, and Dan begrudgingly shuffled it back into his Deck. At that moment, Minami launched her attack. It crossed the icy crevice and dissipated against the childish Chaos Number. Being a default Number, it couldn't be destroyed by the attack, and the Battle Damage was so small that Kodoku barely felt it.

**Kodoku LP:** 700 → 650

With a dejected feeling, Leah finished what could very well be her last turn. "I place one card face-down and end my turn. And during the End Phase, since it's a Spirit monster, **Borealis Minami** returns to my hand." Her Set card appeared, even as Minami faded away into the mist. She turned to face her partner. "Sorry Dan, I did what I could."

"That's all we can do against a power like this," Dan replied. Still, he was in a very precarious position himself. Like Leah, he was starting his turn with no cards in his hand, and the only card on his field was Ice Fire World, which was currently negated. Practically everything rode on his next card. "My turn, draw!" _'Or perhaps my next two cards,' _he realised with elation after seeing his drawn card. "I activate the Spell Card, **Gathering of the Polaris**!"

"What a top-Deck," Matt grinned as the Spell was activated.

"With this, by banishing two WATER monsters from my Graveyard, I can add any two cards with Polaris in their names from my Deck to my hand. I banish Blizzard Dragon and **Number 55: Vapour Freeze** from my Graveyard, to add **Polaris Dragon Fross** and **Polaris' Frostling **from my Deck to my hand." The two monsters, including the Number Kodoku had stolen earlier, flew out of Dan's Graveyard as he carefully extracted the two new cards from his Deck. "Now I Summon **Polaris' Frostling**!" A small white egg appeared, which immediately shattered to reveal a tiny blue dragon hatchling hiding inside it.

**Polaris' Frostling: Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 100**

"Frostling's effect activates," he went on. "By Tributing it, I can revive one WATER Dragon-Type monster from my Graveyard." Frostling faded from view. "Revive, **Number 68: Glacial Dragon**!" Light flooded out of Dan's Graveyard, and the sealed form of Glacial Dragon rose up behind him. The sphere of ice shattered, and the dragon rose out from inside to settle behind its master once again.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 0 OLU**

"Oh, and if the targeted monster was an Xyz Monster, then Frostling comes back out of my Graveyard and attaches itself to it as an Overlay Unit." Dan added. A blue orb of light floated out of his Graveyard and settled into orbit around Glacial Dragon.

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: 0 **→** 1 OLU**

"Is that it?" Lithon laughed. "A Level six Normal Monster in your hand that you can't Summon, and an Xyz Monster so weak that it can't even put up a decent fight against Kodoku's Chaos Number? Have you gone insane, boy? How could you possibly think that this would benefit you in any way?"

"Oh, I didn't," Dan grinned. "I know full well that there isn't a single card in my Deck that can surmount the Chaos Numbers. They're just too strong. But then again," he stroked the cold metal of the band around his wrist, "that's all part of the fun, isn't it?"

* * *

Author-made cards:

Borealis Minami  
Fairy-Type/Spirit/WATER/Level 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1700  
Cannot be Special Summoned. If you control a face-up Spirit monster, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributing. During the End Phase of the turn this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand, OR if this card was Normal Summoned without a Tribute, banish it instead.

Polaris' Frostling  
Dragon-Type/WATER/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 100  
If you control a face-up "Polaris" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). You can Tribute this card you control, then target 1 WATER Dragon-Type monster (except "Polaris' Frostling") in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target, then if that target is an Xyz Monster, attach this card from the Graveyard to that target as an Overlay Unit.

Chaos Number 17: Passion Aurora Sol  
Fairy-Type/Xyz/LIGHT/Rank 5/ATK 2500/DEF 1800  
3 Level 5 LIGHT monsters OR 1 "Number 17: Passion Aurora"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then declare 1 type of Summon (Normal, Flip or Special); destroy all other face-up monsters that were Summoned this way, then this card gains 300 ATK for each one.

Chaos Number 24: Monster of Solitude (credit to Superjad)  
Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450  
3 Level 3 monsters OR 1 "Number 24: Friendship Demon"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Unless 1 or more players have 0 Life Points, but none of them are your opponent, destroy this card. When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can gain 4000 Life Points for each other player. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; look at your opponent's Extra Deck, and if they have any Xyz Monsters there, Xyz Summon 1 of those monsters from their Extra Deck to your field, using appropriate face-up monster(s) they control as the Xyz Material Monster(s).

Chaos Number 55: Vapour Freeze Volt (credit to Superjad)  
Pyro-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 4/ATK 2100/DEF 1200  
3 Level 4 monsters with different Attributes OR 1 "Number 55: Vapour Freeze"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. This card is also treated as a Thunder-Type monster. You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card, then target 1 face-up monster; apply 1 of these effects. ●Switch its current ATK and DEF. ●Reduce its DEF to 0. ●It gains 1500 ATK, but it is banished during the End Phase.

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster until the End Phase.

Gathering of the Polaris  
Spell Card  
Banish 2 WATER monsters from your Graveyard; add 2 "Polaris" cards (except "Gathering of the Polaris") from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate 1 "Gathering of the Polaris" per turn.

* * *

**Fun Fact #113: An extra-special thanks to Superjad for doing such a good job providing effective Summoning/attack/effect appearances for Vapour Freeze Volt, as well as the 'feeling' of power that goes along with it. That 'feeling' monsters give out is very difficult to encapsulate, particularly in a written medium, but whether it's Monster of Solitude's desperately lonesome 'feeling', or Vapour Freeze Volt's powerful 'feeling', Superjad has proven that he's very good at it. He deserves at least a high-sixty for that!**

**Fun Fact #114: So, Black Mist is now employing a strategy where, using Overlay Units from his own Chaos Number (admittedly indirectly), he steals Number monsters straight from his opponent's Extra Deck, then evolves them into Chaos Numbers. WELL DOESN'T THAT SOUND FAMILIAR!**

**Fun Fact #115: For those of you reading this in the future, the previous Chapter (where Kodoku employs the exact strategy listed above) was published on 27/6/2013, a full three days before Episode 110 came out. We did it first, damnit!**

**Fun Fact #116: When you think about it, it's actually beautifully fitting that Vapour Freeze (the embodiment of fire and ice) achieved its Chaos Xyz Change while in the realm of Ice Fire World.**


	32. Part 3: Ch 13

**Lithon LP:** 0

**Kodoku LP: **650

**Chaos Number 24: Monster of Solitude: Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 2450/DEF 1500 – 0 OLU**

**Dan LP:** 500

**Number 68: Glacial Dragon: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 1 OLU**

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Ice Fire World [Field Card]

**Leah LP:** 200

Spell & Trap Card Zone: Miraculous Descent [no target], 1 set card

"What are you talking about, boy?" Lithon said. "What's so fun about your current situation?"

"Everything," Dan replied. "The joy of being able to fight a powerful opponent like this is great at the best of times, but being able to do it alongside my friend, and after all the time I spent out of action, well... that's just pure ecstasy. I feel like a bird – or a dragon, if you like – that's been cooped up in a cage too long, finally able to stretch my wings."

"Ah, but you see," Lithon grinned, "there's a distinct difference between you and a dragon. Dragons are powerful. You are not. Dragons are the embodiment of all that is strong and mighty in this world, whereas your dragon is so weak, it's embarrassing to look at."

"That's where you're wrong," Dan grinned back. "Dragons being embodiments of power is a stigma; a label placed on them by humans who didn't know any better. Humans who only ever saw the power that dragons possess, and who only ever viewed them as useful based on that strength... or lack thereof. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Real dragons represent so much more than that."

"Oh?" Lithon sneered. "Do tell."

"Think about the phrase 'dragon tamer'," Dan said. "That title denotes a person who has accomplished a mighty feat, as it takes a great deal of skill to be able to tame a dragon. Now there are two reasons for that. Firstly, dragons are powerful. Secondly, dragons don't want to be captured. They hate being restrained. Being creatures on the wing, they love the ability to go anywhere and do anything they want to. They love being able to push their power – regardless of how incredible or paltry – as far as it can go. They love testing their abilities in combat, whether alone or alongside its allies. That's where a dragon finds its joy: not from obeying a master, but by revelling in its ability to choose its own destiny. Because _that_ is what a dragon represents. Freedom."

"An adorable thought indeed," Lithon nodded. "But I'm afraid that you aren't free in any sense of the word. You're still caged, boy. You and your dragon are caged in by Kodoku's power, and his mastery over your strategies. There will be no spreading of wings while you're blocked in like this."

"I don't care if you think we're caged or not," Dan retorted. "Any dragon with strong enough wings can still spread them, and shatter the cage that holds it." And without another word, he deftly slipped the metal band off his wrist.

The movement caught Lithon's eye, and he stared at it suspiciously. "What are you doing now?" he asked.

"Breaking the cage," Dan grinned as he watched a line of brightly coloured symbols flare into life along his arms – twenty, three, eighty-six, forty, thirty-nine, twenty-five, and fifty-three. He felt the strength of the Numbers flood through him, grabbing hold of his emotions and feeding on them like starved animals. But there was more than that. They could feel his immense joy, his happiness to be in a duel as exciting as this one... and they shared the feelings.

All of them had been under Skyler's rule for a long time now, and all of them – especially those that had spent the longest periods of time with him, like Number 25 and Number 53 – had hated it with a passion. Skyler's protective measures had kept them so tightly constrained that they could barely have a thought of their own without his permission. Now they were all free. Suddenly they were experiencing the exact same joy that their host was feeling – the pure happiness that came with having their limitations removed at long last. Their desires to subjugate and dominate had, for the time being, evaporated. They were just happy about being able to exercise their strength again.

Glacial Dragon was no exception. With a bugle of joy, it rose up to its full height and spread its wings out wide. All of the other duelists shrank away from it, fearful of what the newly liberated Number might do. Only Dan saw what it was truly doing, and he smiled at the sight. "Alright, old friend," he called. "It's time to get you kitted up for war." The dragon rumbled in agreement, then brought its tail up close to its body, and folded its wings around it, curling itself into a tight ball. With a series of flashes, chunks of ice began to reappear on the dragon's scales, until it was once again encased within an icy egg. A galaxy-shaped portal opened up on the ice beneath it.

"What is this?!" Lithon gasped. "This can't be- how can this be happening again?!"

"I use **Number 68: Glacial Dragon** to reconstruct the Overlay Network!" Dan declared. "Chaos Xyz Change!" The frozen dragon egg sank into the depths of the portal, which exploded with light and wind, whipping up a mighty blizzard. "Arise, **Chaos Number 68: Glacial Draconian**!"

The blue number sixty-eight on his hand dissipated, only to be replaced moments later by a pulsating, shadowy version of the same symbol. From out of the portal rose a white dragon's egg, far larger than the one that had entered, and covered with a layer of smooth, unbroken ice. No sooner had the sealed form exited the portal when a giant crack split the egg in two, and the form of a massive serpentine dragon forced its way free of the shell, as though determined to get out in the open as quickly as possible. The dragon now had a total of four colossal wings – two on each side – was predominantly white in colour, in as opposed to the black and white contrast its previous form had shown. Additionally, its scales seemed to have taken on a different quality than before. Rather than being pure white, they were now suffused with a sharp blue hue that seemed to be coming from deep inside the dragon's body. It was like looking at the sky through a thick layer of ice. Its whiskers were also longer, and its once-teal eyes had taken on a more aquatic shade. Two blue Overlay Units circled it, casting strange reflections against the dragon's sublime body.

**Chaos Number 68: Glacial Draconian: Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000 – 2 OLU**

Lithon took a step back, staring up at the almighty dragon with a look of pure horror. "This... this is inconceivable..." he breathed. "How is this possible?"

Dan ignored the scientist's shock, and instead focussed on his monster's newfound powers. "Glacial Draconian's effect activates!" he declared. "Simply by Xyz Summoning it, the effects of all face-up cards currently on the field are negated." The dragon let out a screech and spread its wings out wide. Its scales flared a brilliant white colour, and a pulse of pure energy was sent out in a dome shape, brushing past every other card on the field, coating them with a dusting of ice. Monster of Solitude hissed with displeasure as icicles began to cling to its wings. Even the icy prairie they stood in was stripped of its radiance, and the blue flames in the crevice separating the duelists went out like a candle.

Kodoku shook his head. "Pointless," he said. "That still doesn't eliminate my monster's boost, so it's still way stronger than yours."

"Perhaps for the moment," Dan replied. "But Glacial Draconian has another effect. By detaching one of its Overlay Units and sending one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can increase its ATK by the difference between each player's Life Points." He grinned. "And remember how you set this duel up. Every duelist has separate Life Points, so it counts the difference between every player."

"It does what?!" Lithon roared.

"Hush you," Dan said. "You were eliminated when your Life Points hit zero, so you technically don't count towards the tally. But it still counts the difference between me and Kodoku, me and Leah, and Kodoku and Leah."

"That's still basically nothing," Kodoku retorted. "It's 150 from me and you, 450 from me and her, and 300 from you and her. That's a 900 point increase altogether, so you're still well short of destroying my monster."

"Ah, good maths-work kiddo," Dan grinned. "But I kind of failed to mention one thing. This effect isn't a 'once per turn' effect. I can use it as many times as I like per turn, as long as I detach one Overlay Unit and discard one card for each use."

Kodoku paused, staring at him. "So?" he said. "Sure you have two Overlay Units to spare, but you only have one card in your hand."

"Indeed he does," Lithon said, his sneer quickly masking his apprehension. "And we know exactly what that card is: **Polaris Dragon Fross**! A Level six Normal Monster!"

"Hmm..." Dan glanced at the card in his hand, apparently considering something. "You're right," he said finally. "I need more cards than just this one. Luckily, I know just where to find them-"

"If you're thinking of your partner, forget it!" Lithon snapped.

"Dan, he's right," Leah said, turning to face him. "We have a shared field, but not a shared hand. You can't discard my cards for your effect."

The boy's grin never faltered. "I'm aware," he said, before raising his duel disk. "I activate the effect of **Polaris Dragon Yve** in my Graveyard!"

"What? From your Graveyard?" Lithon repeated.

"Yep. If this card is in my Graveyard, by shuffling one Dragon-Type monster from my Graveyard back into my Deck, I can add this card from my Graveyard back to my hand. I return Twin-Headed Behemoth." Two cards were spat out of his Graveyard, and he placed one back in his Deck before adding the other to his hand.

"Two cards in his hand..." Kodoku said fearfully. "And two Overlay Units..."

"This can't be happening?!" Lithon cried.

"I activate Glacial Draconian's effect!" Dan went on. "By detaching one of its Overlay Units and discarding one card, I can finally give it that 900 point boost!" He sent one of his two cards back to the Graveyard, even as the almighty dragon above him absorbed one of its blue orbs into the jewel on its forehead. Rather than white, Glacial Draconian's scales flared with a fantastic sky-blue colour as its strength increased

**Chaos Number 68: Glacial Draconian: 2 **→** 1 OLU**

**Chaos Number 68: Glacial Draconian: ATK 1000 **→** 1900**

"And again! I detach its last Overlay Unit and discard my only remaining card!" The process repeated itself, and the dragon bared its teeth in preparation for its great final attack

**Chaos Number 68: Glacial Draconian: 1 **→** 0 OLU**

**Chaos Number 68: Glacial Draconian: ATK 1900 **→** 2800**

"Satisfied now?" he grinned. "Looks like my monster managed to become stronger than yours after all. Now then, onto battle-"

"Wait, Dan!" Leah interrupted. "Shouldn't you put your band back on first? You're completely exposed to the Number's power right now – they could take you over."

Dan paused for a moment, considering her words. "Nah," he said finally. "Let them have their fun. I'll put it back one once the duel is done, but right now – especially after all the oppression they experienced with Skyler – they should be allowed to enjoy their moment of freedom." The multitude of glowing symbols on his arms flickered gently, seemingly responding to his sentiments.

"Are you mental?" Matt shouted from the sidelines. "They could take you over."

"They won't," Dan replied. "Well... I know at least one that won't." He glanced up at the dragon towering above him, who let out a contented rumble.

"But how do you know?" Matt cried, exasperated.

The boy smiled. "Because right now we share a common feeling: we're all just happy to be masters of our own destiny again. We also share a common goal... winning this duel."

Leah looked like she wanted to argue, but a bigger part of her was telling her to trust in her friend. After all, his Chaos Xyz Change had been very different to hers... maybe he was telling the truth. She shook her head, a broad smile on her face. Then, quite unexpectedly, she triggered her set card. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, **Archlord's Blessing**!" Her face-down card flipped up.

Dan's mouth dropped open. "No way," he breathed. "You had that card all along?"

"Yep! You're not leaving me out of the fun," she grinned, before turning back to Kodoku and his demonic Chaos Number. "When the ATK of a monster changes, I can use this card to double that change until the end of this turn." Glacial Draconian was suffused with a brilliant white light, and it howled with joy as its power increased further.

**Chaos Number 68: Glacial Draconian: ATK 2800 **→** 3700**

"Nice!" Dan broke out in a wide grin. "Now we not only have enough power to defeat the Chaos Number, but also the one controlling it as well. Battle time! Let's end this, old friend!" Glacial Draconian roared in agreement.

"No, stop!" Lithon cried. "Don't do it!"

"Glacial Draconian, attack Monster of Solitude!" The Chaos Number pulled back its head, then released a beam of pure white energy that crossed the field at a fantastic speed and struck Solitude. The childish monster cried out in pain and shock, and desperately tried to shield itself with its wings. It proved a futile effort, however, and the monster soon succumbed to the blast of energy and exploded. Kodoku let out a single, horrible scream and was thrown back, landing heavily a few feet away.

**Kodoku LP:** 650 → 0

* * *

Author-made cards:

Chaos Number 24: Monster of Solitude (credit to Superjad)  
Fiend-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2450  
3 Level 3 monsters OR 1 "Number 24: Friendship Demon"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Unless 1 or more players have 0 Life Points, but none of them are your opponent, destroy this card. When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can gain 4000 Life Points for each other player. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; look at your opponent's Extra Deck, and if they have any Xyz Monsters there, Xyz Summon 1 of those monsters from their Extra Deck to your field, using appropriate face-up monster(s) they control as the Xyz Material Monster(s).

Number 68: Glacial Dragon  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
2 Level 3 monsters  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up card on the field; negate its effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the detached monster until the End Phase.

Chaos Number 68: Glacial Draconian  
Dragon-Type/Xyz/WATER/Rank 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1000  
3 Level 3 WATER monsters OR 1 "Number 68: Glacial Dragon"  
This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by a "Number" monster. If you have 1000 or more Life Points, destroy this card. When this card is Xyz Summoned: Negate the effects of all other face-up cards currently on the field. During either player's turn: You can detach 1 Overlay Unit from this card and discard 1 card; this card gains ATK equal to the difference between each player's Life Points until the End Phase.

Archlord's Blessing  
Quick-Play Spell Card  
When the ATK of a face-up monster changes: Target that monster; double that change until the End Phase.

* * *

**Fun Fact #117: Yes, I know that the word draconian is an adjective, but it was too good a word to pass up, so in the context of this card's name it's a proper noun. So there.**

**Fun Fact #118: After Dan going on and on about freedom in this chapter, I wonder how many people were just sitting there singing songs from Team America in their heads.**

**Fun Fact #119: Polaris Dragon Yve was actually designed for _exactly_ this situation. Glacial Draconian's effect has been around a lot longer than the monster itself has, as I originally toyed with the idea of giving that effect to another non-Number Xyz Monster, or even a Synchro Monster. Polaris Dragon Yve was created to help offset the cost late-game, when the duelists' hands and Life Points would have been depleted to the point where using the effect would have been practically impossible.**

**Fun Fact #120: Some of you may be thinking that Dan made a blunder. Rather than adding Fross to his hand with Gathering of the Polaris, he could have added Briar instead, which gives a free search to its user when its sent to the Graveyard, thus eliminating the need for Yve. However, remember that a duelist doesn't know what their Chaos Number's effect will be before they evolve it for the first time - they kind of just have to perform the Chaos Xyz Change and pray that they get something good.**


	33. Part 3: Ch 14

**Lithon LP:** 0

**Kodoku LP:** 0

**Dan LP:** 500 [WINNER]

**Leah LP:** 200 [WINNER]

At long last, the ending claxon sounded – a noise that the Deltas had been desperate to hear ever since Lithon had fallen. Dan took one final look up at his dragon, and it looked down at him, and a feeling of mutual respect seemed to pass between them, coupled with a deep-seated sense of content. Then the dragon faded away as the augmented reality descended around them, taking the icy landscape with it.

With a sigh, Dan reached into his pocket and pulled out his band. His Numbers didn't try to stop him – indeed, one Number in particular seemed to be egging him on, urging him to put the band on and extract his enemies' Numbers as fast as possible. He smiled when he realised it was Vapour Freeze.

_'You enjoyed your Chaos form, didn't you?' _he said internally. An affirmative thought came back, mingled with the excitement and the rush it had felt upon transforming. _'Alright, suit yourself.' _Wasting no more time, he slipped the band on, instantly silencing the Numbers as if he'd flicked a switch.

"So," Leah said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Which one do you want?"

"I'll take Kodoku's" he replied. "I'd like to see if the band can absorb Chaos Numbers. Think you can handle Lithon?"

Leah glanced at where the scientist was now lying, knocked sideways by that final attack. He was still conscious, but barely so, and seemed to be struggling to get his breath back. "Yeah," she said tentatively. "Yeah, I think I can manage."

"Alrighty then," Dan nodded, before activating his band, sending a stream of glowing tendrils into Kodoku's downed body. Leah did likewise next to him, crossing over his tendrils to get to Lithon, who was still struggling to get up. The two of them winced as the tendrils entered Lithon's body, as they both remembered just how the scientist had behaved the last time they'd done this. Fortunately, however, either Lithon didn't notice the tendrils, or he was too badly injured to do anything about it. He just lay there, allowing the band to work its magic.

Dan found his target in seconds – the wicked, pulsating presence he could feel in Kodoku's soul was very different to the regular Numbers he was so familiar with. This was Vapour Freeze Volt, the Chaos Number he was after. He was sure of it. He could also feel a similar presence right next to it, at the very core of Kodoku's soul – which he could only assume was Monster of Solitude – but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't dislodge it. Resigned to his single find, he gave a slight tug to liberate Vapour Freeze Volt from Kodoku's soul, and almost laughed as it came away with such ease.

Leah was having a far more interesting time. Like Dan, she had found Lithon's Chaos Number and quickly discovered it to be immobile. Unlike her partner, however, she'd found a treasure trove of Numbers besides that one. There were the four Numbers she'd seen Lithon take from Skyler – 45, 19, 54, and the almighty Number 4 – plus the mysterious Number 76 that he'd captured from a random bystander. Grinning, she pulled the Numbers free from his soul, and watched as the tendrils exited his body and deposited the five cards into her outstretched hand.

As both kids pocketed the cards, Lithon finally pushed himself up into a half-sitting position, staring at them as if in a new light. "This... this is unreal..." he breathed. "When was it that the Chaos Xyz Change became so easy?"

Leah giggled. "Easy is not the first word I'd use to describe the experience."

"Likewise," Dan grinned. "That was really hard work."

"Even so... and them," Lithon gestured at Matt, then at the tree where Katie and James were still lying together, unconscious. "You said that they can do it too?"

"Well, James can't," Matt replied. "But Katie and myself, yeah, we can."

Lithon shook his head in disgust. He looked furious, livid, that his beloved super-weapon had become so widespread. He looked irritated, and even slightly depressed, about losing such a large portion of his Numbers. But more than that, he looked defeated. His own Chaos Number, and Kodoku's too... each and every one of his plans for this duel had gone absolutely perfectly – more than perfectly; he'd never expected Kodoku to acquire two Chaos Numbers – and still he'd been beaten.

With a dejected sigh, he picked himself up and made his way over to Kodoku, intending to carry him back to his lab. Both he and the boy still had their original Numbers. Maybe his operations could still be salvaged.

"Not a step further, Lithon," Matt ordered, stepping forward to stand in between Leah and Dan.

Lithon stopped and turned to face him. "What now?" he growled. "Those two already took my Numbers, what more do you want?"

"Three things," Matt replied. "Firstly, Kodoku's Number. And secondly, yours. I know full well that we can't extract them normally for whatever reason, so you'll just have to hand them over yourself."

"Why should I?" Lithon snapped back. "I made no such bargain. I never agreed to ante up my original Number before this duel, so what gives you the right to demand it now?"

Matt cursed under his breath. In retrospect, he knew that he should have made Lithon promise to give up his Numbers just as they had with Skyler. Because the scientist was right; they didn't have a leg to stand on.

"And the third thing?" Lithon asked impatiently.

"You should know already," Leah replied, pointing at Kodoku. "This time, we're taking him from you."

Lithon laughed. "You must be insane," he chuckled. "You already tried to take Kodoku once, and remember how that worked out? He _wants_ to stay with me."

"_Wanted_," Dan corrected him. "I'm pretty sure that after everything you've said to him today, that may have changed."

"To be honest," Matt said before Lithon could reply, "I don't care if he still wants to stay with you or not. You've proven time and time again that you're not the person that should be looking after him. He deserves better than you, and today's events just serve to prove it." He took a step forwards. "So whether you like it or not, we're taking him. Right now."

"You'll do nothing of the sort."

It wasn't Lithon who spoke. Indeed, he seemed just as surprised to hear the authoritative shout as they were. Nor was it Kodoku, who was still lying unconscious a few feet away. It was a woman's voice. Startled, Matt whipped around to face the one who had shouted. It was a young woman, dressed mainly in white with a black leather jacket. She also wore sunglasses, which struck him as odd, since it had been pretty cloudy all day.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," Lithon said. "Why are you butting in on our business?"

The woman didn't answer immediately, but instead met their hostile gazes with an indifferent stare. "You can call me the Stranger," she said. "I've been looking forward to meeting you all face-to-face for a long time. It's rare that all the soldiers gather in one place."

"What do you mean 'soldiers'?" Matt asked.

"I mean the participants in the great war over the Numbers," the Stranger replied. "You five, the Doctor and his unfortunate sidekick, the broken man... the only ones missing are-"

"Wait, you said the broken man?" Leah said, her expression filling with dread. "So that means-"

"Yes," the woman nodded. "Skyler is here too. Just there, in fact." She pointed to a nearby tree, where just as she'd said, the deadly hunter stood leaning nonchalantly against the trunk. The Stranger almost felt like laughing, for she knew exactly what he was doing – he had placed himself in the shade of the thickest tree possible, so as to conceal his pitiful appearance and injured body, while hopefully still being seen as a threat.

Indeed, it seemed to have worked, for all of the Deltas and even Doctor Lithon were suddenly on guard. "What the hell are you doing here, Skyler?" Leah growled.

The hunter chuckled softly. "Calm yourself, zesty Delta," he replied. "I have no interest in dueling with you today. I only came here because I am interested in what this woman has to say. She's been spying on us for some time now – ever since our first encounter, in fact."

"She what?" Leah gasped, turning back to the woman.

The Stranger nodded. "Further than that, in fact," she replied. "I was there when each of you first received your Numbers, and I watched your first duels."

Leah and Matt stared, opened mouthed. Even Lithon and Skyler seemed taken aback. Dan, however, wasn't even listening to this conversation. He was staring at Skyler, and the moment there was a lull in the conversation, he spoke up. "Hey there Skyler," he shouted. "You remember me? I'm all mended again."

Skyler said nothing, relying on the shade of the tree to mask his expression.

"After what you did to me, I'm surprised you don't have more to say," Dan went on accusingly. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself? Not an apology? Not even a snarky remark?"

Skyler exhibited a profound lack of responsiveness.

Before Dan could speak again, Lithon spoke, addressing the Stranger. "I don't think I appreciate being spied on," he growled. "So how about you tell us why you did so before I really get angry!"

The Stranger shot him a withering look. "Doctor Lithon, I am not your enemy," she replied. "Moreover, I am giving you an opportunity. A chance for you to escape with the child. So I suggest you do so rather than bombarding me with senseless questions that I have no intention of answering."

"But why?" he asked, ignoring her warning. "Why are you helping me?"

She considered for the briefest of moments. "I suppose that question does warrant an answer," she said slowly. "It's because I'm interested, Doctor. I am very interested to see how you choose to recover and learn from this duel, and moreover, what you will do afterwards."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

The scientist grinned. "Don't believe for a second that this means I owe you anything," he sneered. "But such an offer is too good to resist. So if you children don't mind, I will be taking my leave now." He swiftly crossed the remaining distance, scooped Kodoku into his arms, and made for the exit to the park.

"Hey, stop!" Matt made to follow, only to find the Stranger blocking his path again. "Let me through," he growled. The Stranger shook her head. Lithon was moving so fast that he had already left the park and was out of sight. Matt slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Why did you let him get away like that?" he said. "We had him."

"His role in the grand scheme of things is not yet complete," the woman replied. "Likewise for the rest of you. Now, despite what you may be thinking, I am not your enemy either. I want you all to be safe. So if you want my advice, forget the Doctor. Forget Kodoku. They cannot be reached by your words, and they have proven such time and time again. For now, I suggest you instead focus your attention on the Maxwell siblings."

"The Maxwell siblings? You mean Keane and Esta?" The three Deltas all jumped with fright at the sound of Katie's voice. While they'd been talking, the fourth member of their team had finally gotten enough strength to join them, and was now participating animatedly in the conversation.

"Keane and Esta..." Skyler repeated, before addressing the Stranger. "That's the second time you've mentioned them today. Just who are they?"

"People who – like all of you – have yet to understand the importance of the role they will play," the Stranger replied cryptically. Then, she bowed respectfully to them. "It has been an absolute pleasure chatting to you, children, but time is pressing, and I have other priorities that require my attention. My suggestion is that you go home now, and rest away the day's trying events."

"We can't yet," Leah replied. "We need to help Deiana. She was..." She trailed off as the Stranger started shaking her head.

"You needn't worry yourself with that," she said. "I will deal with the nurse personally. Until we meet again, Deltas." Without another word, she strolled over to where the nurse was lying, slung her over her shoulder, and set off towards the row of houses. Skyler watched her leave. Then, with a contemptuous growl, he made his way back towards the road.

"Well..." Dan said once they were alone in the field. "That was... um... interesting."

Leah continued to stare after the woman. "Who is she?" she said. "Does anyone recognise her?"

"No," Matt said, struggling to keep a hold of his own thoughts. "What did she mean when she said 'I want you to be safe'? And if she isn't our enemy, and isn't Lithon's enemy, and clearly isn't Skyler's enemy... then whose side is she on?"

"Shh," Katie said peaceably, drawing everyone's attention. "There'll be time enough to worry about that later. There's no sense in all of us fretting about it now. Instead, we should get on with healing James, then we should all go home as quickly as possible."

"Why?" Matt asked.

Katie gave a slight grin. "Because I'm tired of this field. And because we need to throw a proper party..." she turned to face Dan, her smile widening, "...to celebrate Team Delta's revival."

* * *

**Fun Fact #121: Phew. So, after 33 chapters, 101479 words, and 122 Fun Facts, the Chaos story has finally come to a close. Took it long enough!**

**Fun Fact #122: So, what's next? Well, you can expect a couple more filler stories where we take a break from this behemoth of a story to do some casual Number hunting. After that will be "Skyler's Story", which will serve to finally unravel the mysteries surrounding Skyler. And finally, we'll reach "The Finale", where everything ends.**


	34. Epilogue

"Damnit!" Lithon roared, slamming his fists against his desk over and over again. "Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! How did this happen?! Everything failed! Every single plan I had went flawlessly, yet I still lost!"

With anger in his eyes, he glanced out of his office's window towards his lab, where his remaining three captured Numbers were still sitting there, suspended in glass cases while his machines ran tests on them. It angered him that with the loss of five of his Numbers, he couldn't gather data nearly as fast. To make matters worse, Kodoku was hospitalised from the intense duel, so those experiments would have to be put on hold too.

And as a cherry on top, now the members of the accursed Team Delta had each acquired a Chaos Number. That boy, the user of Number 68... he even had two of them, counting the one he'd taken from Kodoku. Everything was falling apart.

"Heh, look at the state of this place," a voice said from over his shoulder. "It's ridiculous."

With a curse, Lithon spun around to face the intruder. Standing in the doorway to his office was a tall and impossibly bulky man, with arms as big as tree trunks, and hands that could probably crush his entire head with ease. He wore a brown traveling cloak that covered most of his body, including a hood which, when coupled with the strange silver mask he seemed to be wearing, eclipsed most of his face too.

Still, Lithon was not one to be intimidated, and he stood defiantly before the intruder. "Who might you be?" he growled. "And what business do you have here?"

"My name is Gilag," the man replied. "And I've come with a proposition for you. An offer of partnership, if you will."

Lithon snorted. "Thank you for the kind offer, um... Gilag," he said sarcastically. "But I work alone. I have nothing to gain from a partnership that I don't already have, and I am not interested in sharing my success with anyone."

Gilag's response was to laugh. "Hahaha, if your recent endeavours are what you call success, I'd say you're in desperate need of our help."

"I told you, I'm not interested!" Lithon snapped. He went to turn away, but stopped as Gilag reached inside his robe and pulled out a single card. The hulking man held the card up so that Lithon could see it.

"Interested now?" he asked.

Curiosity finally overcoming trepidation, Lithon stepped forward to examine the card. It was a Spell Card, but beyond that, he was unfamiliar with it. As he began to read its text, though, his eyes widened.

"Hmm... Rank-Up-Magic..." he muttered, before reaching out to take the card. Gilag made no move to stop him, and soon the Doctor was clutching the card as if it were the most precious thing in the world, still reading and re-reading its text. "Interesting," he said finally, looking up at the man standing patiently opposite him. "Well then, Gilag, I'd say that this little development somewhat changes things."

Gilag chuckled softly. "Yes, I imagined it might."

He held out a massive hand to the scientist, who shook it fervently, grinning like a child on Christmas morning.

"All for the sake of the Barian World."

* * *

**Fun Fact #123: Psych! We weren't finished yet.**

**Fun Fact #124: Ok, now we're finished. Really. Honest.**


End file.
